Traffic In India: Crashes, Injuries, & Remedies

As the population of our country dramaticallybehaviour.Highways themselves cause a large
increases and the number of vehicles on thenumber of accidents in India today. Driving at night
nation's roads and highways skyrockets, newalong highways that are poorly lit and which has a
methods of traffic control and organization haveregular stream of traffic without any speed limits,
become necessary, by utilising new methods ofcauses severe damage to both life and property.
transportation or by revising the current system.Despite this, the government has failed to
However, traveling in India is almost anincrease the number of roads and highways
hallucinatory mixture of sound and sight. It mightproportional to the extraordinary increase of
sound hilarious, but when you are on the road, itsvehicles on the road. Hazards to the environment
extremely dangerous. Most Indian road usersalso prove the necessity for more worthwhile
observe an ancient road code, which accounts formethods of traffic administration. As many more
majority of road accidents which often provevehicles make use of our metropolitan city roads,
fatal.In the last 5 years, the number of vehiclesthe amount of poisonous hydrocarbons released
on our roads has increased manifold and to addinto the atmosphere steadily increases. On the
to this we have to give way to cows, elephants,average, one out of every four Indians has
buffalos, ox-carts, pigs, auto-rickshaws, pedalproblems breathing during the peak summer
rickshaws, goats, bicycles, handcarts, dogs notmonths due to the excess of smog in the
forgetting the casual pedestrian too. Cars andatmosphere. Studies have shown that automobiles
other vehicles cause an enormous expense to ourproduce the majority of this smog. Even though
society and these expenses are mainly due toemission standards have become more rigid and
traffic accidents, traffic jams, and thethe use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) has
environmental hazards created by the largebeen introduced, no significant change has been
number of vehicles on our roads. Traffic accidentsobserved in the reduction of environment
account for one of the major reasons that thepollution.Further, noise pollution from the large
current techniques of traffic control neednumber of automobiles on the roads also
revision.Then there is the Accident risk, whichcontributes to the devastation of the
means - the chance of injury to yourself orenvironment. Despite the many problems that
others and the chance of damage to vehicles andexist with the present systems of transportation
property. Therefore, following the basic signs,and traffic control, numerous solutions exist that
signals and rules of driving can avoid this risk. Oneprovide both efficiency and effectiveness. These
huge risk though, is to be under the influence ofinclude formulating new methods of
an illegal substance or drug while driving andtransportation, developing better traffic signaling
nothing has been done so far to stem thisand controlling equipment, and utilising better
problem. The most important safety tip to reducetechniques of highway design and
pedestrian injuries and fatalities is to pay attention.construction.Designing new types of transit
The chances of being in a collision with a motorprovides one of the most obvious and efficient
vehicle can significantly be reduced by obeyingapproaches of improving traffic management. In
traffic rules and being aware of the dangerstoday's society, mass rail transit exists as one of
posed by vehicles in your vicinity. Both drivers andthe most efficient and quickly developing
pedestrians have certain safety responsibilitiestechniques of enhancing the current transportation
that depend both on circumstances and commonsystem. Many moderate to large sized cities
sense.Apart from this, traffic jams, along withcurrently offer some kind of rail transit, whether
broken cars and the lack of alternate routes,it be a subway or elevated system, and most of
account for one half of the traffic congestion.them are well-used. This could possibly be the
Although the number of traffic accidents hasanswer to solving our traffic problems too.On the
slowly decreased over the past several years dueother side of the spectrum, however, many new
to various projects that have been instituted, likeand exciting forms of technologically advanced rail
flyovers and the ongoing Delhi Metro Project(i.e.,transit are currently in development. A MAGLEV
with reference to the traffic control in Delhi),thetrain, or Magnetic levitation train, has recently
number is still alarmingly high. Majority of deathsbeen introduced into the transportation world.
occur due to traffic accidents alone. In addition,Driven by powerful electromagnets, this train
traffic jams also demonstrate the need for betterlevitates several inches above the track. This
methods of traffic management. Due to both thereduction in friction allows the train to reach
increase of women in the work force and thespeeds upto 300 miles per hour. The introduction
expansion of businesses to the suburbs, trafficof this train in India would solve our traffic
jams have increased dramatically over the pastproblems considerably. However, this does not
few years. As a consequence of these trafficseem possible in the near future.
jams, the population gets delayed in reaching theirIn addition to rail transportation, buses represent
work spots which creates further worry andnot necessarily a new transportation method, but
confusion. Another negative factor is that, drivers,certainly one that can be taken advantage of and
while waiting in their cars during traffic jams,utilized to its fullest potential. One of the major
waste gallons of gasoline, which contributes toadvantages that buses have over rail transit is
further environmental hazards.Road crashes arethat buses can take their passengers wherever
another major and growing cause of death andthey want to go, and routes can easily be
injury mainly to children. Twice as manyChanged.At present, despite adopting new
pedestrians are killed in road crashes inmethods of transit, there is no particular lane
industrializing countries than in industrializeddiscipline, since traffic entering a road from the
countries. School children are the victims of a highleft has priority, so has traffic from the right, and
proportion of these crashes. It is thereforealso traffic from the middle and therefore, Indian
important that children receive road safetytraffic at all times and irrespective of direction of
education as part of their curriculum. Youngertravel occupy the centre of the road. Modifying
children are not aware of the concept of dangerthe current techniques of traffic control may
and must learn to realize the dangers inherent inexist as another solution to the unruly traffic
the road environment. Education should, therefore,problem, and another way to improve the current
be based on practical training in a realistic roadmethods of transit is by optimizing better traffic
environment such as training in crossing streets,signaling and controlling equipment.
crossing parked vehicles and crossing atUsing better techniques of road development and
intersections. Parental involvement is invaluable toconstruction also accounts for part of the effort
model and reinforce road safetyto modify current traffic control methods.