[Report Title]

Independent office of evaluation

Project Completion Report

Validation & Project Assessment of
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, 2014

16th November 2014, Document of the Indian Federation of Road Safety

Greeting to you from Indian Federation of Road Safety

Since the implementation of the pursuant to General Assembly resolution 60/5 of United Nations, the
observance of the day has spread to a growing number of countries on every continent. This year we are
adequately pleased to say that Indian Federation of Road Safety successfully commemorated the day of
remembrance from grampanchyats to major metros in India.
Commemorating this day has become an important tool in global efforts to reduce road casualties. It offers
an opportunity for drawing attention to the scale of emotional and economic destruction caused by road
crashes and for giving recognition to the suffering of road crash victims and the work of support and rescue
services.
IFROS is continually inspired by the potential of youth to transform society. The World Day of Remembrance
for Road Traffic Victims is a strict reminder that crashes are the leading cause of death for people 15 to 35
years old. Road traffic crashes also claim many younger victims, with more than 500 children killed each day
as they travel to and from school, playgrounds and the homes of family and friends. Thousands of other
people of all ages are seriously injured every day.
This Day is about compassion and prevention. We mourn those who have perished on the roads. We console
grieving families and friends. We raise awareness of the economic hardship so often faced by the bereaved.
The focus of this years Day on the theme Speed Kills, design out speeding points the way forward. A
number of governments have moved to address the problem of speeding in the context of the United
Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety, which is being observed through the year 2020. India is one among
a growing number of countries adopting new laws, enhancing enforcement and redesigning the roads with
speed bumps, rumble strips and other steps to slow traffic.
As we aim to slow traffic, we are accelerating global action against road crashes. Working with partners, the
Indian Federation of Road Safety is carrying out a number of initiatives, including preparing to assemble the
National High-Level Conference on Road Safety in January 2015.
On this World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, let us re-commit to making roads that are safe
for all.

Order of the Event

Programme Name

: World Day of remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, 2014

Theme of the Day

: Speed Kills, Design out speeding

Venue

: People Plaza, Necklace Road, Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Date

: Sunday, 16th of November 2014

Time

: 09:00 am Onwards

Participants

: Road Accident Victims, Educational Institutions , Corporates, Volunteers,

Govt. Officials, Print & Electronic Media, NGOs & Common Public

Highpoints

1. Introduction by Leader of Ceremony

2. Dialogue by Chief Guests
3. Testimony by Road Accident Injured Victims/ Demised Family
Members
4. 2 Minuet Silence in remembrance of Road Accident Victims
5. Display of framed photographs/ symbol of remembrance
6. Release of Domestic Pigeons & White Gas Balloons
7. Presentation of Road Safety Insignia
8. Vote of Thanks
9. Signing Road Safety Pledge
10. Road Safety Signature Campaign

All-purpose Poster

Poster for Churches

UN-WDR Poster

Other means of persuasive

Partners & Associates

Photo Archive

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Media Archive

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Press Note

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INDIA: Road Accident Demography

INDIA is the Home to 1.21 billion people (about 1/6th of worlds population)
Around 72% of Indias population lives in villages.
The sex ratio has fluctuated between 927 934 between 1971 to 2001.
The total fertility rate declined from 4.8 to 3.7 in rural areas and 3.4 to 2.5 to urban areas during
1982 to 1997.
Life expectancy at birth has increased from around 30 years at independence to 60.7 years in 1996.

ROAD ACCIDENTS: A SNAPSHOT

Emergence of Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) a leading cause of Deaths & Disabilities
India : 2011
Accidents 4.97 lakh (annual) (1 every minute)
Deaths 1,42,485 (one death every 3.7 minutes)
Accidents impose significant costs
3% GDP for India (1999-2000)
1% GNP for low income countries
1.5 % GNP for middle income countries
2% GNP for high income countries
Was 9th leading cause of death in 2004 and expected to be 5th leading cause of death by 2030
worldwide.

* Accident Severity: No. of Persons Killed per 100 Accidents

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INDIA: INCIDENCE OF ROAD ACCIDENTS

Rise in number of accidents, injuries & deaths per lakh of population
Reflects rise in motor vehicle population, increase in duration & number of travel
trips with rise in income
Sharp decline in number of accidents, injuries, & deaths per 10,000 vehicles
Reflects improved crash worthiness vehicles & occupant protection better
enforcement
Rise in number of accidents, injuries & deaths per 10,000 km
Reflects higher exposure to risk due to heterogeneous nature of traffic, lack of traffic
separation etc.

Chart 1: Number of Road Accidents, Number of Persons Killed and Number of Persons Injured Per Lakh
Population: 1970 2011

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Chart 2: Number of Road Accidents, Number of Persons Killed and Number of Persons Injured Per Ten
Thousand Vehicles: 1970 2011

NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS, PERSONS KILLED & INJURED AS PER ROAD CLASSIFICATION 2011
Road Classification

National Highways
149,732

State Highways
122,239

Other Roads
225,715

(30.1)
52,924

(24.6)
39,033

(45.3)
50,528

(37.1)
156,008

(27.4)
133,435

(35.5)
221,951

(30.5)

(26.1)

(43.4)

No. of Accidents
No. of Persons Killed
No. of Persons Injured
Note: Figures within parentheses indicate share in total accidents, killed and injured in the respective road categories.

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Road Accidents victims (other than Drivers) by Age Group: 2011

Indian Federation of Road Safety

0-15 Years

15-65 Years

25-65 Years

65 Years & Above

Road accidents have earned India a dubious distinction. With over 130,000 deaths annually, the country has
overtaken China and now has the worst road traffic accident rate worldwide.
This has been revealed by the World Health Organization (WHO)
in its first ever Global Status Report on Road Safety. The report
pointed to speeding, drunk driving and low use of helmets, seat
belts and child restraints in vehicles as the main contributing
factors.
Every hour, 40 people under the age of 25 die in road accidents
around the globe. According to the WHO, this is the second most
important cause of death for 5 to 29 year olds.
In India alone, the death toll rose to 14 per hour in 2009 as opposed
to 13 the previous year. The total number of deaths every year due to road accidents has now passed the 135,000
mark, according to the latest report of National Crime Records Bureau or NCRB.
While trucks and two-wheelers were responsible for over 40 per cent of deaths, peak traffic during the afternoon
and evening rush hours is the most dangerous time to be on the roads.

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Drunken driving is a major factor

The NCRB report further states that drunken driving was a
major factor for road accidents. Joint Commissioner of Police
Maxwell Perreira maintains that there has to be a change in
drivers' mindsets.
"Most of the city accidents are not necessarily out of drunken
driving," says Pereira. "But 99 per cent of the accidents, the
fatal accidents that occur outside the cities are due to drunken
driving and there is no check on this kind of drunken driving.
Unfortunately, truck drivers think they are fully armed to drive on the highway when they are fully drunk! Until
and unless this country comes up with a new method of checking drunkenness on the highways, I don't think
these fatalities can be lessened."
Inefficient law enforcement
Prince Singhal, founder of the Campaign Against Drunken
Driving (CADD), a decade-old movement with support across the
country, says the increase in fatal accidents only proves the lack
of concern on the part of state governments and police towards
the problem of drunken driving.
"It's growing day by day because liquor is a state subject and its
happening everywhere in the country, not just Mumbai, Delhi,
Bangalore, Hyderabad and metro towns. There is an ineffective
law, there is no judicial procedure, there is no enforcement by the police, no specific segment where they can
book people under drunk driving."
Campaigns against drunken driving have not proved effective. And the increasing number of prosecutions for
drunken driving has also not been a deterrent. But Singhal is determined to change this.
"Now things are going to change because we met government
representatives and we filed a white paper policy on road safety.
So there is going to be national council which is going to be formed
very soon in the country. The matter is in parliament and it is
already approved by the cabinet. And very soon you will see a
specific body on road safety is going to be formed."
The time for action is now: Road deaths increased by nearly 40 per
cent between 2003 and 2008 in India, and the more progressive and
developed states like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil
Nadu are the ones most affected.
Road safety experts also warn that the real numbers of fatalities could be much higher since many cases are not
even reported. There is no estimate as to how many people injured in road accidents die a few hours or days after
the accident. And their deaths are then no longer linked to road traffic accidents.
Author: Murali Krishnan (New Delhi)

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****
Road crashes are not road accidents. They are avoidable and need to be stopped.
IFROS works to stop road deaths and provides awareness help and support among road users.
CIN: U63090TG2009NPL063942. Licensed under section 25 of the Companies Act 1956
Copyright IFROS, and the respective authors.

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