Road Safety Meeting

• 17 Jan 2020

Why in News

Recently, the 18^th meeting of National Road Safety Council (NRSC) and 39^th meeting of Transport Development Council (TDC) were held in New Delhi under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH).

Key Points

• The ministry is discussing with States the steps required for improving the engagement of the society towards accidents, and victims, whose life can be saved within the first ‘golden hour.’
  
  • Golden hour refers to the immediate one-hour time period following a traumatic injury, during which, chances of preventing death by way of prompt medical treatment are the highest.
• Different road safety aspects discussed in the meeting:
  
  • The Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act 2019
  • Tourist Vehicles Authorisation and Permit Rules 2019
  • Bus port guidelines
  • Digitisation of transport and abolition of border check posts
  • Inter-state transfer of vehicle registration and driving licenses
  • Harmonisation of road tax across States – One Nation One Tax
  • Vehicle scrapping policy
  • Guidelines for setting up, authorisation and operation of vehicle scrapping facility
  • Implementation of vehicle tracking platform under Nirbhaya framework.
• The meeting also highlighted 36% improvement on national highways and 26% on State highways.

Steps Need to be Taken

• The meeting underlined the need to include NGOs and engineering students in conducting road audits.
• There is a need to bring about behavioural change towards road safety.
• Road discipline should begin from the family, school and society level.

National Road Safety Council

• It is an advisory body which was established under section 215 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 with the objective of improving road safety aspects in the road transport sector.
• The Council is chaired by the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways.
• In 2011, MoRTH formed five separate working groups on the four Es of road safety-
  
  • Education
  • Engineering of Roads
  • Engineering of Vehicles
  • Enforcement, and Emergency Care.

Transport Development Council

• It is the highest body to advise the Government on all matters relating to roads and road transport.
• The Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways is the Chairman of the Council.
• It meets at least once a year.

Source: PIB