New Initiatives

NATIONAL HIGHWAYS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

The National Highway Development Programme (NHDP), being implemented by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is a major initiative towards qualitative and quantitative enhancement of National Highways, involving development and 4/6 laning of about 13,150 km of road at a cost of over Rs. 54,000 crore. The Project envisages a six-lane Golden Quadrilateral linking the Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai-Delhi circuit, a North-South Corridor connecting Kashmir to Kanyakumari and a similar East-West Corridor connecting Silchar to Saurashtra. Experience both in India and elsewhere shows that such upgradations of highway facilities, lead to an increase in speed and traffic often resulting in severe accidents.
While behaviors may change over time, there is a need to attempt behavioral change through a public awareness campaign.

Considering the need to address the road safety issues, part of the World Bank loan under Grand Trunk Road Improvement Project (GTRIP) is to be utilized to design and implement an effective public communication strategy for enhancing road safety awareness among drivers and other road users.

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), has appointed the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) to impart Road Safety education on the Delhi-Kolkata section of Golden Quadrilateral for a stretch of 1453 Km, As per the current accident data for this stretch the total number of accidents annually is 2865 out of which the fatalities figure is 1594.
The aim of the Road Safety Education Programme is to reduce the risk of accidents through raising the awareness among local inhabitants and road users of National Highways.

The Road Safety Education Programme of IRTE is designed to:

Make community residents aware that road safety is a major community concern.
Encourage community residents to identify the specific road safety problems faced by the community as well as remedial measures.
Strengthen local Non Government Organizations (NGOs) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and their linkages to external institutions with a role in road safety.
Educate community residents and road users in the safe use of the road and actions to be taken in the event of an accident.

The programme was inaugurated in partnership with District Administration Faridabad, by Dr. (Mrs.) G.Anupama, IAS, Deputy Commissioner Faridabad on 1st August 2006 a training programme of two days marked the inauguration with training being imparted to 40 members of the traffic police from Haryana, who are the stakeholders and awareness raisers under the first stage of the programme “Training of Awareness raisers/ Trainers”.

The second training programme was held for the traffic police personnel of Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow.

An Initiation towards Setting up Organisation Development Centres (ODCs)
Training the Trainers Programme for Traffic Police Personnel
From Sikkim, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Delhi
New Delhi : 24-29 April 2006.

India is passing through a crisis as far as its road safety management is concerned. With almost 100,000 fatalities and around 1.275 million serious injuries, road accidents are responsible for a social loss of around Rs. 55 crores annually. Traffic management has not been found and traffic police is ultimately responsible for the non-functioning of other departments.

To initiate the process of creating Organisation Development Centres for traffic police in different states, the IRTE organised a 6-day "Train the Trainers" programme in New Delhi 24th through 29th April, 2006. Twenty two traffic police personnel from Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Sikkim and U.P. attended this training module.

The course, covered the following subjects:
Understanding the traffic policing and road safety
Basics of road and its environment
Basics of traffic control devices
Patrolling the roads
Scientific hand signaling
Dealing with public
Understanding traffic violations and relating these to traffic legislation
Understanding the correlation between traffic control devices and legislation
Road crash scene management
Accident analysis & Reconstruction
Protecting vulnerable road users
Systems of data collection
Attitude, motivation and personal management
To keep oneself medically fit
Field training

The course was conducted at the Institute of Road Traffic Education, Okhla Industrial Area, New Delhi and at the Delhi Traffic Police Lines in Teen Murti, New Delhi. The programme schedule is annexed. The following members of the faculty conducted the training programme:

Faculty members From IRTE included Mr. Rohit Baluja, President, IRTE, Mr. Sharfuddin, Director Engg., Mr. G.C. Kukreti, Principal Faculty Driver training, Mr. Aman S. Bedi, Head, CARRS, and Dr. Sudhir Krishna, Surgeon.

Other faculty members included Mr. P.S. Bawa, former Special Commissioner of Police,
Delhi, Ms. Kiran Bedi, IPS, Director General Home Guards & Civil Defence, Mr. M.S. Upadhye, IPS, Additional Commissioner of Police,(Traffic )
Mr. G.S.Awana, Assistant Commissioner, Delhi Traffic Police, Drill Instructor, Mr Daljit Singh, Asstt. Sub-Inspector, ( Traffic)

The six-day event came to close with a Valedictory session held at the India International Centre, New Delhi. Mr. Qamar Ahmed, IPS, Joint Commissioner, Delhi Traffic Police, presented the training certificates.

Workshop on the Implementation of Good Practices in Road Traffic Safety
Muscat, Oman 28-29 November 2005

The Workshop was jointly organized by ESCWA and FIA. The Meeting was attended by heads of the traffic safety departments and other officials dealing with traffic safety issues, consultants and representatives of international safety bodies, representatives from the civil society groups dealing with traffic safety in the ESCWA region and international consultants
This workshop was aimed at discussing specific good practices in traffic safety related to human behavior, vehicles, road design and furniture, specific examples of good practices in selected ESCWA countries, specific examples of poor practices in selected ESCWA countries, strategies for implementing good practices in road traffic safety in the ESCWA region, strategies for managing poor practices in road traffic safety in the ESCWA region, and preparations for the Global Road Safety Week (April 2007).

REPORT

Workshop on the Implementation of Good Practices in Road Traffic Safety
Muscat, Oman 28-29 November 2005

Summary

This workshop was aimed at discussing specific good practices in traffic safety related to human behavior, vehicles, road design and furniture, specific examples of good practices in selected ESCWA countries, specific examples of poor practices in selected ESCWA countries, strategies for implementing good practices in road traffic safety in the ESCWA region, strategies for managing poor practices in road traffic safety in the ESCWA region, and preparations for the Global Road Safety Week (April 2007).

Specifically, discussions focused on the following: (a) introduce participants to the internationally recognized good practices in road safety and the mechanisms required for introducing and implementing such in the ESCWA region; (b) introduce the ESCWA representatives experiences with regards to the implementation of both good and adverse practices in their respective countries; (c) and exchange views on how to improve on the application of the good practices and how to find solutions to overcome poor practices.

Recommendations were reached with regard to good practices in road safety and a list of steps to be undertaken was approved.

9th to 10th September 2005-School Conclave Programme in Ludhiana

Upon a request from IRTE, the department of road transport and highways, ministry of shipping, road transport and highways, government of India, New Delhi sanctioned a grant-in-aid for conducting 20 school conclave workshops across the country during 2004-2005.

the last workshop in the series was held at the Sacred Heart School Premises, Ludhiana, this was held in association with the Ludhiana city traffic police, IRTE filmed the road traffic problems and type of violations being committed by the road users in the city, typical problems outside schools, shortfall in traffic control devices etc. the course deliberations were accordingly attuned to enable the teachers to feel that the course was specially designed for their region.

Thirty eight teachers and thirteen members of he Parent-Teacher’s Organization of the school attended the programme. The workshop focused on the following subjects

Traffic control devices
Rules of the road
Post-accident management
Personal management
Objectives of school conclave
Curriculum links
Personal management

19 to 20 August 2005-Training workshop on safe driving for orthopaedically challenged
For the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation

Training workshop on safe driving for orthopaedically challenged persons on the occasion of the annual distribution of motorized vehicles by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation to deserving individuals, commemorating the birth anniversary of Shri Rajiv Gandhi.

Prior to the distribution ceremony, IRTE organized a one day training workshop on safe driving in order to equip the beneficiaries with relevant information regarding driving rules and about the vehicle being awarded to them.