Status of Safety and Security Issues in Indian Road Transport Sector and Roadmap

Abstract

Road traffic crashes are one of the world’s largest public health and safety threats. This is a more serious issue in developing countries like India, which has one of the densest road networks in the world. Road collisions involve extreme human suffering and monetary costs such as premature deaths, injuries, and loss of potential income. The main objective of this study is to present a detailed analysis of road collisions and various factors affecting the fatality of these collisions on Indian roads. This is achieved by in-depth data analysis to correlate the number of road collisions and deaths in these road collisions with different factors responsible such as the type of vehicles, causes of road collisions, age of road collision victims, road environment, vehicle density of roads, transport infrastructure, etc. This article shows that most road collisions occur due to human errors, which can be avoided by implementing stricter road safety norms. Vehicle safety measures and road infrastructure also play an important role in a road collision. The road quality in India is inconsistent due to a lack of standardization and inadequate maintenance protocols. Serious research and management efforts are required in traffic management, vehicle design, and passenger safety in the Indian transport ecosystem to avoid these problems. A comparison of safety aspects of Indian roads with other developed countries is an important section of this study, which presents many important facts and issues of the Indian road transport sector. Overall, this review article provides detailed information about the safety aspects of the Indian road transport sector and a roadmap for improving this grim situation.