Page 2 - Road Safety

Ford motors recalls over 456,000 cars due to loss of drive power risk

Ford is recalling more than 4,56,000 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles due to a battery detection issue that can result in loss of drive power, increasing crash risks. According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the body and power train control modules for these cars may fail to detect changes in battery charge. And when undetected, a low battery charge can cause an unexpected loss of drive power including sudden stalling or inability to restart and the use of other electric capabilities like hazard lights. The recall covers about 403,000 model year 2021-2024 Bronco Sports produced between February 2020 and March 2024, as well as more than 53,000 model year 2022-2023 Mavericks manufactured from February 2021 to October 2022, a recall report dated Friday notes. To remedy this issue, dealers will recalibrate the impacted vehicles' body and power train control modules at no cost. Owner notification letters are set to be mailed out on May 1

Govt to issue fresh draft for installation of rear seat belt alarm in cars

The Motor Vehicle Act mandates in-built seat belt reminders for drivers and passengers in the front seats, while also stipulating a Rs 1,000 fine for those found in violation of the Act

Quite a hell of a ride

Ensuring road safety on India's highways needs a mission mode approach, if the country is to rid itself of the ignominious tag of being the most dangerous place in the world

Zomato to distribute Bluetooth-enabled helmets to all delivery partners

Zomato said it distributed over 250,000 wearable assets to its delivery partners in 2022-23

Road safety topmost priority, will reduce accident deaths by 50%: Gadkari

Road safety is the topmost priority of the government, which has set a target to reduce accident deaths by 50 per cent by 2030, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday. Addressing an event organised by industry body CII, Gadkari further said change in social behaviour is very important along with focusing on strengthening 4Es' of road safety -- Engineering (road & vehicle engineering), Enforcement, Education and Emergency medical service. He emphasized on cooperation of all stakeholders for enhancing road safety. The road transport and highways minister said as per a report, there were 4.6 lakh road accidents, 1.68 lakh deaths and 4 lakh serious injuries in 2022. He said every hour there are 53 road accidents and 19 deaths. Gadkari said the number of road accidents increased by 12 per cent and accident deaths by 10 per cent in 2022, resulting in loss of 3.14 per cent to the GDP . The minister said 60 per cent of deaths was in the age group of 18-35 years. He said the system

Nitin Gadkari targets 50% reduction in road accident deaths by 2030

The latest report on road accidents 2022 reported 460,000 accidents, 168,000 deaths, and around 400,000 serious injuries. Around 60% of deaths occurred among the age group of 18 to 35 years

Centre launches new car programme for safety rating of passenger vehicles

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways stated that the programme shall be applicable on type approved vehicles of category M1, manufactured or imported in the country on or after October 1, 2023

'Increasing demand for SUVs major road safety, environmental challenge'

The automobile industry's relentless push to sell larger and heavier SUVs a major road safety as well as environmental challenge and the government should discourage sale of these big vehicles, a top official of the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) said on Tuesday. Speaking at an event organized by the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), Global NCAP executive president David Ward said the Indian government has taken maximum steps for increasing road safety in the past few years including development of Bharat NCAP with partnership with GNCAP. "The car industry's relentless push to sell ever larger and heavier SUVs is bad news for road safety, but particularly for those driving smaller, more (fuel) efficient vehicles, and vulnerable road users," he said. According to Ward, the risk of fatal injuries to vulnerable road users increases as the bonnet height of the vehicle hitting them increases. "Increasing growth and demand for SUVs in India and other countrie

Unacceptable and preventable

Road accidents must be prevented

Will achieve road safety targets set in Stockholm Declaration: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday reiterated India's commitment to achieving global road safety targets set in the Stockholm Declaration, according to an official statement. Gadkari, while addressing the ministerial session focusing on road safety at the 27th World Road Congress in Prague, Czech Republic, emphasized on adopting a holistic approach to minimise road crashes and fatalities by stakeholders at all levels. The road transport and highways minister reiterated the country's special focus on spreading awareness to effect behavioral change and ensuring flawless enforcement of rules. According to the statement, the minister further apprised the gathering of the strides India has been taking in the field of automobile safety with flagship programmes such as BHARAT NCAP and reiterated our commitment to achieving the global road safety targets set in the Stockholm Declaration. The Stockholm Declaration aims at halving the number of fatalities and serious injuries on roads by

Be like Neeraj Chopra, win hearts not challans: Delhi police on road safety

The Delhi Police has come up with a creative social media post to spread awareness about road safety and following traffic rules by referring to Neeraj Chopra's victory in the men's javelin at the World Athletics Championships. "Be like Neeraj Chopra. Win hearts, not challans," the police wrote in a post on X. It further stated, "To drivers and riders, you are not Neeraj's javelin, and crossing the white lines will not get you points or medals." Reacting to the post, one of the users suggested that lane driving must be enforced on priority. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra scripted history yet again as he became the first Indian to win a gold medal in the World Athletics Championships with a big throw of 88.17m in the men's javelin final in Budapest, Hungary on August 27. Chopra has now become only the second Indian -- after shooter Abhinav Bindra -- to simultaneously hold the Olympics and World Championships titles. Bindra had won the World Championships title when he was 23, and t

Himachal Police gets Rs 7 cr to strengthen road safety to reduce accidents

The Himachal Pradesh government has released Rs 7.34 crore for the police to procure equipment and implement measures to reduce road accidents and deaths. Released by the transport department, the road safety fund will be utilised to procure traffic equipment and go a long way in meeting the target set by the United Nations to reduce accident deaths to 50 per cent by 2030, Director-General of Police Sanjay Kundu said on Saturday. The police will procure traffic lights for installation in Bijiri and Hamirpur and rescue equipment for the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane highway, he said. On an average, 1,180 people die each year in 3,090 accidents while 5,480 people suffer injuries, according to police records. Procurement of modern equipment for traffic regulation by the police is an ongoing process. Forty-nine Intelligent Traffic Management System have been installed at various places on national and state highways and 28,223 challans issued for traffic rules violation this year. Another

SC rejects plea on road safety issue, says can't be done in one petition

The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a plea on the issue of road safety in the country, saying the reliefs sought are "so encompassing" that it cannot be done in one petition judicially. A bench of justices S K Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia said most of the issues raised in the plea are related to Tamil Nadu, and the petitioner can approach the state high court for appropriate relief. The petitioner, a resident of the southern state, told the bench that his plea was about road safety and that more than five lakh accidents happen every year in the country. When the petitioner said one cannot get remedies in one place in road accident cases, the bench observed there has been coordinated streamlining of accident cases. About the reliefs sought in the plea, which included directions to the state to remove all illegal structures, the bench said, "You may have a good motive but they are so encompassing that this cannot be done in one petition judicially." While disposing of the plea,

Road safety issue urgent, not enough being done for pandemic on roads: UN

Road Safety issue is as urgent as COVID-19 considering how crashes destroy lives and economies on a daily basis, UN's Special Envoy for Global Road Safety Jean Todt has said, emphasising that not enough is being done for the "pandemic on our roads." Speaking at the "Vision Zero Conference for Road Safety for All" that commenced here on Monday, Todt said that the issue of road safety doesn't garner the same kind of financial and social support yet as other subjects. "The COVID-19 experience provided an example of how humanity can bond together to discover and apply solutions when the emergency appears urgent enough to everyone. That example alone should show us that we are not doing enough for the pandemic on our roads --- we need to better persuade people that it is just as urgent as COVID-19 in how it destroys lives and economies," he said. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), road crashes kill more than 1.3 million people each year - more than two every minute - with

Raj govt approves road safety task force, targets 50% accident reduction

A dedicated task force for road safety will be set up at the district level to curb road accidents, the Rajasthan government said, adding that it aims to reduce accidents and deaths linked to it by 50 per cent by 2030. According to a statement issued here on Tuesday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has given approval for the formation of 'Road Safety Task Force' at the district level involving officers of various departments. The Department of Transport and Road Safety will be the administrative arm of this task force, the statement said. A meeting of the task force will be held at least once every three months. The District Road Safety Task Force will be responsible for effective implementation of the annual action plan, and the decisions of the committee to bring about 50 per cent reduction in road accidents and deaths linked to it by 2030, it said. The tenure of the District Road Safety Task Force will be three years, the statement added.

Punjab govt to set up Road Safety Force to avert accident: CM Mann

Expressing concern over the fatalities due to road accidents in the state, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said a Road Safety Force will be formed in the Punjab Police to avert accident. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a Regional Driving Training centre here, the chief minister said that on a daily basis around 14 people die in road accidents in Punjab. Mann said the force will be entrusted with the task of checking rash driving, and streamlining vehicular movement on roads and others to prevent road accidents. This move will reduce the burden on cops deployed in police stations, Mann said in an official statement. He further informed that the Regional Driving Training Centre is equipped with hi-tech technology and it will give major relief to people who want to get heavy vehicle licences, thereby saving their time, money and energy. Mann said the state government is making all-out efforts to remove the blind spots on the roads to avert any casualties. The

Tata Elxsi to use blockchain to monitor driver behaviour; partners Cultos

Tata Elxsi's collaboration with Cultos Global is aimed at creating an innovative Driver Reward Program

Not taking due care while overtaking also amounts to rash: Delhi HC

Rash and negligent driving does not necessarily mean excessive speed and will include not taking due care while driving, particularly overtaking either a stationary or moving vehicle, the Delhi High Court has said. The court's observation came on a petition by the family of a motorcycle rider who died after colliding with a DTC bus parked in the middle of the road without any signal or light indicator on the night of July 22, 2012. The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal had granted more than over Rs 17 lakh to the family but ordered a deduction of 20 per cent towards contributory negligence by the deceased. The claimants were also awarded interest of 7.5 per cent per annum from the date of filing the plea till payment is made by the insurance company. The family sought enhancement of the compensation amount before the high court. Justice Gaurang Kanth, in a recent order, observed that from the account of the eyewitness, there was no doubt that the accident occurred due to the ...

Most people in India not serious about following road safety rules: Gadkari

Most people in India are not serious about following road safety rules, and unless their mindset and attitude change, it would be difficult to reduce number of road accidents in the country, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday. The road, transport and highway minister pointed out that a whopping 5 lakh road accidents take place in the country, in which 1.5 lakh people die every year. "Jyadatar log road safety ko lekar serious nahi hai. Jab tak logo ka dimag aur mindset nahi badlega, tab tak road accidents kam nahi ho payega (Most people in India are not serious about following road safety rules, and unless their mindset and attitude change, it would be difficult to reduce number of road accidents in the country)," he said. Gadkari also emphasised on the need of following land discipline by drivers. He announced that his ministry will soon start conducting digital examination for those applying for driver's licence and later a practical driving test will be conducted. The .

Road safety project: Govt piloting Cibil-like rating for licenced drivers

Ratings to be offered to insurers and OEMs to enable them to customise premiums based on driving behaviour, incentives on new vehicle purchases