7 Years of Motor Vehicles Act: Experts Call for Stronger Road Safety Implementation
The observations were made at a Road Safety Roundtable organised by the Road Safety Network (RSN) to mark seven years of the legislation
Seven years after the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, road safety experts have called for stronger implementation of the country’s road-safety framework, with a focus on speed management, safer infrastructure for vulnerable road users, institutional accountability and road safety in smaller towns and rural areas.
The observations were made at a Road Safety Roundtable organised by the Road Safety Network (RSN) to mark seven years of the legislation. The discussion brought together experts from transport research, public health, road safety and civil society, including representatives from NIMHANS, IIT Delhi, Parisar and CrashFree India.
The roundtable was moderated by Saurabh Verma, co-founder of Synergie.
Prof. Geetam Tiwari of IIT Delhi highlighted the need for road design to account for the vulnerability of different road users. She said roads where pedestrians, cyclists and two-wheelers interact closely with motorised traffic should be designed for safer speeds, with 30 km/h cited as an important reference for such environments.
The discussion also highlighted traffic-calming measures such as speed tables and rumble strips, particularly around schools and areas with high pedestrian activity.
Ranjit Gadgil, Programme Director at Parisar and a member of the Road Safety Network, stressed the need to translate recognition of the right to walk into safe and continuous pedestrian infrastructure. He called for clearly demarcated pedestrian pathways and stronger implementation by state governments, development authorities and urban local bodies.
Participants also highlighted the need to strengthen technical capacity within municipalities and road-owning agencies to ensure that existing road-design standards and guidelines are implemented consistently.
Shubham Kumar of CrashFree India said road safety efforts should look beyond road-user behaviour and examine how legislation, road design and institutional responsibilities are implemented. He referred to Section 198A of the Motor Vehicles Act, which provides for responsibility relating to compliance with standards for road design, construction and maintenance.
The discussion stressed the need to move beyond the existence of statutory provisions towards effective monitoring and accountability, including assessing whether responsible agencies have the technical capacity and institutional mechanisms needed to implement road-safety standards.
Dr Gautham Melur Sukumar of NIMHANS highlighted the need to strengthen India’s post-crash response. He referred to provisions concerning Good Samaritans, the Golden Hour and accident-related treatment and compensation mechanisms, while calling for greater coordination among emergency services, ambulances, hospitals and rehabilitation services.
He also emphasised the need for an integrated post-crash system, including standardised training for emergency medical personnel, mapping hospitals based on trauma-care capacity, stronger ambulance regulation and improved emergency and road-crash data systems.
The roundtable also highlighted road-safety challenges in smaller towns and less-developed urban areas. Pankhuri Jain, Manager at Blue Ribbon Movement, pointed to inadequate traffic infrastructure, limited traffic signals, insufficient speed-calming measures and weaker mechanisms for citizens to raise road-safety concerns in such areas.
Participants also discussed the need for greater road-safety education and awareness, including better understanding of helmet use, safe road behaviour and the needs of vulnerable road users. The possibility of a National or State Road Safety Mission was also discussed to improve coordination and implementation of road-safety initiatives.
The key priorities identified during the discussion included safer speed management and speed-sensitive road design, continuous and accessible pedestrian infrastructure, stronger implementation of road-design and maintenance standards, greater institutional accountability, improved technical capacity among urban local bodies and road agencies, integrated emergency and post-crash care, better road-crash data and monitoring, and greater attention to road safety in smaller cities, towns and rural areas.
The discussion underscored the importance of implementation, institutional capacity and measurable outcomes to ensure that provisions in the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act and technical standards translate into safer conditions for road users.