ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION – WHY ?

By

V.RAMALINGAM
ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION CELL
STATE TRAINING CENTRE
PUDUCHERRY
 All Teachers need to be sensitized to their
responsibilities for the safety and well being
of their students during school days.
They also need to be equipped with adequate
knowledge and wherewithal to protect
their students in the event of emergencies
 Right to life and safety is a
fundamental right of any citizen.

This is guaranteed under the

constitution of every country in the
world including India.

Anything, which is hazardous to

human, violates the right to life, and
road safety is as much on the agenda
as any other area, which may be
accident-prone.
More number of people dies every year from road
accidents all over the world than the number killed
during the whole of the Second World War.
 Roadway Injury and Death Toll
W orldwide, Each Day

Approximately 140,000 people are injured

• 15,000 are disabled
• 3,000 die

1.26 m illion were killed in roadway accidents in 200

accounting for 25% of all deaths from injury that ye

Sources:World Health Organi zation. “Road S afe ty is No Accident: A Broc hure for W orld Health D arily 2004.
7 Ap” Ge neva . 2004.
Ahead of General Assem bly, A nnanurges C omm itm ent to R oad Safety[Press
. Re lease]. Bone a nd Joi nt D ecade. 9 S eptember 2003.
Available at:http://w w w.bo neand jointdecade.org
. Accessed Ma y 14 , 2004.
 Statistics on road safety presents a very
grim picture especially in India.

Road fatalities now leads the list of accidental

deaths in India much more than any other such
as by drowning, fire, rail or air mishaps etc.
The magnitude of road accidents
in India is increasing at an
alarming rate

About 85,000 people are killed every

year in India and top the world in the
number of road fatalities.
The broad road safety programme
adopted two main sub-themes.

*awareness on road safety issues to

the general public

And

for school children.

Most of those killed are in the 15-44
age group, according to the statistics.

A two-wheeler rider is five times more prone to

accident as compared to a person in a four-
wheeler.

There are nearly 3,39,13,000 two wheelers

registered in India, which account for nearly 70 per
cent of the total motor vehicles registered in the
country.
Most of the fatalities in two wheeler
accidents result from the pillion rider
being thrown off the vehicle, resulting in
grievous head injuries, the statistics say.
The issues, which were taken up for spreading
awareness, were:

The need for wearing helmet for both,

the riders and the pillion riders
Not using mobile phones while driving

Not crossing Zebra Lines at signals or stopping

vehicles before Zebra lines
Signal jumping or avoiding signal jumping

Overloading of school auto rickshaws or avoiding

sitting in an overloaded auto rickshaw.

Not Mixing drinking and driving

Wearing of seat belts
Bicycle rickshaw driver taking children home after
School. New Delhi.
 Road Use Varies from
C ountry to C ountry
Global Burden of Disease Top 10
High-Income Countries
Cars dom in ate ro adw ays

Low- and Middle

-Income Countries
Global Burden
Global of Disease
Burden of Top 10 Top 10
Disease
Roads are shared space among:
Vulnerable users: • Pedestrians
their deaths • Bic yc lists
contribute to the
• Motorb ikers
higher death rate in
• Passenger v ans
these countries
• M in i buses
• Cars
• Trucks
Sources:World Health Organi zation.
“Road S afe ty is No Accident: A Broc hure for W orld Health D arily 2004.
7 Ap” Ge neva . 2004.
NantulyaVM , Reich, M R. Equity dimensions of road traffic i njuries
w- iand
n lo middle-income countries.
Injury control and S afe ty
Prom otion. 2003;10:13
-20.
 Road Safety: Not J ust a
Transportation Issue
Global Burden of Disease Top 10
1990 2020
1 Lower respiratory infections 1 Ischemic heart disease
2 Diarrheald iseases 2 U nipolardepression
3 Perinatalc onditions 3 R oad traffic injuries
4 Unipolardepression 4 C erebrovascular disease
5 Ischemic heart disease 5 C hr. obstr. pulmonary disease
6 Cerebrovascular disease 6 Lower respiratory infections
7 Tuberculosis 7 Tuberculosis
8 Measles 8 War injuries
9 Road traffic injuries 9 D iarrheald iseases
10 Congenital abnormalities 10 H IV

Source:M urra y C JL, Lopez AD , eds. [Table].

The global burden of disease: a com prehensive assessm entality
of mand
ort disability from
diseases, injuries, and risk factors in 1990 and projected
02.
toBoston,
20 Harvard U nive rsity Press, 1996.
National level of fatalities per kilometer is
0.025.

The road accidents were highest on National

and State Highways

i.e. 45 percent rather than rural roads (39

percent).
Mostly heavy vehicles like buses and trucks
are responsible for causing road accidents
(43 percent).
The majority of road crash victims (injuries
and fatalities) in developing countries are not
the motorized vehicle occupants, but
pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists etc.
Sixty percent deaths involve pedestrians and
out of which 35 percent are children.
Road fatalities- reasons
Bad condition of roads

Poor implementation of various laws

governing road traffic and safety
issues,

Lack of awareness of road safety issues

Traffic violations
 The faulty engineering of road mechanics, may it
be road design or traffic lighting etc.
Difference in height
between paved road
surface and
shoulder or adjacent
surface
Caused by:
– Inadequate
maintenance
– Erosion
– Broken pavement
– Resurfacing road
but not shoulder
increase in number of vehicles is
tremendous without much
improvement in the road network.

The strength of the traffic police

force in or out of cities has not
increased substantially.
 Distraction
Auditory
Types of Distraction

Visual

Cognitive

Physical
Managing Driver Distraction
Why Don’t We All Keep Our
Eyes on the Road and Our Minds
on Driving?
Cell Phones and Driving
All Too Typical
 Why All the Attention Now?
Explosion in cell phone use
New technologies (navigation systems,
traveler information systems, etc.)
Greater complexity of “old”
technologies (radios, sound systems,
vehicle displays, etc)
People spending more time in cars
Hot media topic
Fear of new technology
 Distracted Driver Crashes

Outside object, person, event 29.4% (602 cases)

Adjusting radio, cassette, CD 11.4
Other occupant in vehicle 10.9
Moving object in vehicle 4.3
Using other device or object 2.9
Vehicle / climate controls 2.8
Eating / drinking 1.7
Using/dialing cell phone 1.5 (42 cases)
Smoking related 0.9
Other 25.6
Unknown distraction 8.6
Vehicle-Related Road Debris

Vehicle-related road debris (VRRD) is

material—vehicle parts or cargo that has
been unintentionally discharged from a
vehicle onto the roadway.
Potential VRRD
Tires and Wheels are a Main Source
 Potential VRRD
 Appliances  Lumber &
 Barrels Construction
 Box, i.e., Cardboard Materials
 Furniture,
 Mufflers & Exhaust
Parts
 Garbage & Trash
 Tire Treads
 Gravel & Soil
 Tree Limbs
 Vehicle Parts
 Driving Regulations
Speed
No
No person
person shall
shall operate
operate ANY
ANY
motor
motor vehicle
vehicle on
on the
the road
road without
without
a
a VALID
VALID license
license in
in their
their
possession.
possession.
Young male drivers are the most likely to speed

Young drivers (under 21) who speed, also fail to

wear safety belts.
 Pedestrians
• Must obey traffic rules and regulations.
• Will not walk on any street where
sidewalks or other marked pedestrian ways
are provided.
• Will walk on the right side of the street
facing on-coming traffic.
 Visibility
• As a driver, you must have a clear
field of vision to gather information
and guide a motor vehicle effectively.

• Good driving visibility depends on

the distance you can see ahead and to
the sides.
Conditions Off-road
• Conditions Off-road can also
reduce your field of view to
either side of your intended
path of travel on a highway.
Examples that may affect
your driving environment
•• Bright
Bright Glare
Glare
•• Sunglasses
Sunglasses
•• Driving
Driving at
at Night
Night
•• Driving
Driving at
at Dusk
Dusk
•• Bad
Bad Weather
Weather
 SUN GLASSES!!
Keep sunglasses clean and
free of scratches. Polaroid,
neutral gray, or green are
rated the best for reducing
glare.
 Night Vision
Three factors affect your night
vision.
• Ability to see under conditions of low
light.
• Ability to see against glare.
• Time needed to recover from exposure
to bright light.
RULES OF THE ROAD

V.RAMALINGAM
ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION CELL
STATE TRAINING CENTRE
DIRECTORATE OF SCHOOL EDUCATION
 GENERAL RULES

KEEP LEFT on a two-way road to allow traffic from

the opposite direction to pass on your right and on a
one-way road to allow vehicles behind you to
overtake from your right.

WHEN TURNING LEFT, keep to the left side of the

road you are leaving as well as the one you are
entering. When turning right, move to the centre of
the road you are leaving and arrive near the left side
of road you are entering.
SLOW DOWN
at Road junctions,
Intersections
Pedestrian crossings
Road corners

If you are entering a main road where

traffic is not being regulated, give way to
vehicles passing on your right.
HAND SIGNALS are necessary at certain times.
When slowing down, extend your right arm palm down and swing it
up and down; when stopping, raise your forearm vertically outside
the vehicle; when turning right or changing lane to the right hand
side, extend your right arm straight out, palm to the front; when
turning left or changing lane to the left hand side, extend your right
arm and rotate it in an anti-clockwise direction.
To allow the vehicle behind you to overtake, swing your right arm
backward and forward in a semi circular motion.
 Road markings
include all lines
patters, words and
colours applied on
or attached to the
road surface, for
the said purpose

Bare roads will lead to total vehicular confusion.

Markings are painted on the road to direct, guide and
regulate the road user.
 Traffic paints are
commonly used for
road markings.
Other materials
such as, road studs,
cat's eyes and
thermoplastic strips
also find their
application in road
markings
. These markings promote road safety and ensure
smooth flow of traffic. Sometimes, road markings are
used to supplement the message of road signs and
other devices.
White is generally used for carriageway
(road) markings except those indicating
restrictions for which yellow markings
are used. White or yellow together with
black are used for kerb and object
marking
 Centre line marking for a two lane road
On undivided two-way roads, the centre line
separates the opposing streams of traffic and
facilitates their movements.
The centre line can be a single broken line, a single
continous solid line, a double solid line or a
combination of solid line and broken line. Single and
double solid lines, whether white or yellow, must not
be crossed or even straddled.

On a road with two centre lines, of which one is solid and the
other broken, the solid line has significance only it it is on the
left side of the combination as viewed by the driver. In such a
case, the driver must be careful not to cross or straddle the
centre line.
 Lane Line and broken
centre line

Centre barrier line marking

for a four lane road

Centre barrier line marking

for a six lane road
Double white/yellow lines

Double Continuous lines are used where

visibility is restricted in both directions.

Neither stream of traffic is allowed to

cross the lines.
Combination of solid and broken lines

If the line on your side is broken, you may cross

Over Take - but only if it is safe to do so.

If the line on your side is continious

you must not cross or straddle it.
Stop Line

A stop line is a single solid transverse line painted

before the intersecting edge of the road junction/
This line indicates where you are required to stop when
directed by traffic police, traffic light of stop sign.
Where a pedestrian crossing is provided, the stop line
is marked before the pedestrian crossing.
Give way Line
The give way line is usually a double dotted line marked
transversely at junctions.

These lines are generally supplemented by a reverse

triangle give way sign painted on the road surface before
the dotted lines

Give way to traffic on the main approaching road.

 Single Broken

Separation of lanes on which

travel is in the same direction,
with crossing from one to the other
permitted.
 Single Broken

Separation of lanes on which travel is

in the opposite direction, and where
overtaking with care is permitted.
 Single Solid

Separation of lanes or of a lane and

shoulder where lane changing is
discouraged

This line is found on busy main

roads and traffic intersection. Here
crossing this line and overtaking is
prohibited.
Double Solid
Separation of lanes overtaking is
prohibited in both directions.
Right turn monoeuvres across
this marking are not permitted.

Solid + Broken

Separation of lanes where overtaing

is permitted with care for traffic
.
adjacent to the broken line, but
prohibited for traffic adjacent to
solid line.
 THANK YOU

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