The Road Safety Network, a national coalition of leading road safety experts and organizations from across the country, today shared recommendations with the Home Secretary to ensure safe transit of migrants during the national lockdown. Road Crashes kill around 1,50,000 people every year (400 every day) and despite a steep drop in vehicular traffic, have continued to wreak havoc even during the national lockdown.
So far, 1,176 road crashes with 321 fatalities have been documented since the lockdown with 17 migrant labourers having been killed and 93 injured in the last 24 hours.
In order to assist the Government of India to keep the road-users, especially passengers using the migrant bus services safe during these journeys the Road Safety Network has shared a set of safety protocols with the Government. The measures proposed include temporary lanes for cyclists and pedestrians on highways and urban roads, thorough briefing to bus drivers with respect to emergency protocols, identifying rest areas where food and water can be provided to travellers, engaging drivers well-trained in long-distance driving and familiar with particular terrains.
Find more details in the press note. Read the letter to the Union Home Secretary Secretary here and the Maharashtra Government Chief Secretary here.
