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Road traffic enforcement should develop a culture of
responsible road use which demonstrates concern and respect for other road
users. Enforcement should lead to a smooth flow of road traffic without
compromising on safety, saving of time, protection of environment and fuel
conservation. Effective enforcement is one where the behaviour of the road
user is within the defined legal, engineering and ethical framework - where
the right of way is truly respected.
It is not about the quantity of fines collected but how
fines and other punitive measures reduce traffic violations leading to a
positive road culture.
Enforcement in a Developing Country - India
Enforcement of road traffic in India
is a unique challenge primarily because the subject has not been adequately
defined or deliberated upon.
The major challenges are:
 Mixed traffic conditions: Delhi,
for example, has over 30 modes of transport using the same road;
The Motor Vehicles Act defines the
responsibility of motorized vehicles only, leaving out the non-motorized user
in the absence of a Road Traffic Act;
Enforcement is not linked to engineering,
driver training or road education;
The role and responsibility of enforcers are
not defined, nor are they adequately trained;
Enforcement agencies do not work in
coordination;
Tools and systems of training are lacking;
Enforcers are willing to com-promise;
Lack of political will;
Absence of driver training and negligent
driver-testing;
Poor road awareness;
No standardization of traffic control devices;
Absence of traffic engineering as a science;
Unprecedented growth of moto-rized/non-motorized vehicles in the absence of a basic
public trans-port system;
Accident investigation − no quail-tative information of causes and consequences of crashes
− without which remedial measures are only hypothetical;
Without scientific investigation, punitive
measures are enforced arbitrarily.
Enforcement in rural areas or on the highways
hardly exists, whereas in the urban metro-politan
areas it is treated as a means of revenue collection;
Vehicle maintenance is a neglect-ted area and vehicle safety enforcement is almost
non-existent;
Right of way is not defined by the road maker,
road maintainer, or the road user; enforcers are also ignorant, and
Road encroachments are com-mon
and parking management is neglected.
Enforcement needs to be defined within the holistic
perspective of traffic management along with other key elements of traffic
management. The Transport Ministry at the federal level has to play a key
role in defining, guiding, facilitating, motivating, auditing and
coordinating the responsibilities and activities of the State Transport
Departments.
Driver Training
There has been a vacuum as far as driver training and
testing are concerned. There is almost no formal training for motorized
two-wheeler riders. It is a misconception that two-wheeler riders have
graduated from bicycles and therefore do not require training. Only a
negligible percentage of two-wheeler riders obtain a driving licence after
visiting a driving school.
Moreover, driving schools only teach the basic skill of manoeuvering, but not the road rules, regulations and hazards.
Knowledge of traffic control devices or about the vehicle is hardly ever
imparted. For the heavy motor vehicles segment, only a few driving schools
exist in the country.
A majority of drivers who obtain a licence graduate from
being “cleaners”. In the true ‘teacher-student tradition' of our country,
knowledge is handed down the generations − including the mistakes,
misconceptions and bad practices. Ironically, even those who test drivers
prior to issuing a licence or the driving school instructors, do not have
formal training.
Role of Highways and Civic Authorities
The highways and local civic authorities responsible for
construction, maintenance and management of safe, efficient, and
environmentally-acceptable road infrastruc-ture and
highway facilities should implement standard practices of road safety engi-neering. Besides physical construction or alteration
of roads, they should create a road environment that is safe, particularly
for the more vulnerable users, like pedestrians, cyclists, the disabled, the
old and the young.
Conducting safety audits and liaising with traffic
management authorities in accident prevention must be accorded top priority.
Traffic Engineering
One of the biggest causes of enforcement failure is that
traffic engineering is not recognized as a science, and often the road
infrastructure is not conducive to enforcement of the law. For example,
statutory directions on installation of traffic control devices, as well as
traffic engineering techniques are absent. The wheel of traffic engineering
is re-invented by every civic, highways and police authority across the
country. They make and learn from the same mistakes, causing an unimaginable
loss to the exchequer, not taking into account public time, health and fuel
that are wasted in the process.
A dedicated Traffic Engineering Depart-ment
in every metropolitan city to start with is a must, working closely with the
traffic police. Every city with a population of more than one million should
have an independent Traffic Engineering Department. Once established, many
more universities and institutions will automatically introduce and expand
traffic engineering courses as the demand for traffic engineers rises.
Road Laws
As the Motor Vehicles Act does not include non-motorized
road users, the latter tend to break laws with impunity and become the
victims of road accidents. For example, in Delhi
out of the 1 700 annual fatalities on roads, 900 are pedestrians.
Therefore, it is important to promulgate a Road Traffic Act wherein the responsibility
of road use is defined for every road user.
Ambiguity of law/misinterpretations: Laws are not
respected when they are not clearly defined. Laws are also not respected when
the road users to whom these laws are applicable are unaware of them. Therefore
laws must be made as simple as possible, in consultation with all
stakeholders, and should be promulgated only after wide publicity. Some laws
pertaining to: the use of helmets; seat-belts; drinking and driving;
applicable speeds; mobile phones, and vehicle maintenance have not been
successfully enforced due to ambiguity or lack of political will.
Traffic Police
In addition to the role played by the police in the
maintenance of law and order, the traffic police have the statutory
responsibility of judicious enforcement of traffic regulations as prescribed.
Consultation with other agencies and the public in
creating a safe road culture should be the primary role of the traffic police
force. As part of this role, the traffic police should also emphasize management
of safe and smooth flow of traffic, minimize the incidence of accidents,
effectively prosecute traffic violators, conduct accident investigation, and
lay greater stress upon road user education.
For enforcement of road safety measures for the non-motorized
road users the police must use:
Preventive
methods:
1. Control
and direct the non-motorized traffic to ensure their safe movement;
2. Guide
and help the road users unfamiliar with the specific rules and regulations;
3. Make
sure that pedestrians/cyclists use such facilities like pedestrian crossings,
subways etc. and that they do not become potential hazards to safety;
4. Help
the disabled road users without compromising their safety, and
5. Ensure
the provision of standar-dized control devices.
Persuasive methods:
1. Issuing verbal warnings for offences;
2. Use
methods like deflating tyres of bikes/rickshaws of
those who violate basic safety laws; and
3. Holding
the erring road users in custody for a short duration.
Police training schools, colleges and academies must have
a planned curriculum on all aspects of traffic management. Before being
posted with the traffic police, all police personnel must undergo specialized
training.
India
is a large country with diverse cultures, languages and religions. The
results of road safety enforcement should however be the same although the
tools and systems for achieving it may have to be tailor-made to suit
specific environments.
Collision Investigation and Research
A separate department of Collision Investi-gation
and Analysis should be established in each metropolitan city under the
Traffic Police and on highways under the respective Highway Authority. It is
also recommended that each collision, where a serious injury, vehicle damage
or fatality takes place, should be studied and the collision scientifically
analysed and reconstructed in detail.
Reconstructing serious collisions would provide
information about their causes and consequences. Analysis of such information
would help the authorities find solutions in the areas of road user
awareness, driver training, road engineering and enforcement for enhancing
road safety.
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