Maharashtra: Study shows how crash deaths dropped on certain corridors

The NH 48 Zero Fatality Corridor project resulted in a 61 per cent decrease in fatalities between 2018 and 2021. Representation Pic

A study released by Nitin Gadkari, minister of road transport and highways, states that scaling successful corridor-based road safety practices can save as many as 40,000 lives each year. Carried out by SaveLIFE Foundation in cooperation with the World Bank Group and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the study, Road Safety Good Practices in India, showcases success stories from across the country. According to the report, interventions have led to a measurable and, in many cases, a remarkable reduction in road crash fatalities on target road corridors.

Analysing crashes

The National Highway 48 (Old Mumbai-Pune Highway) Zero Fatality Corridor project registered a remarkable 61 per cent decrease in fatalities between 2018 and 2021. The Belgaum Yaragatti Highway's Safe Corridor Demonstration Project in Karnataka recorded a notable 54 reduction in deaths over three years from 2015 to 2018 while the Sabarimala Safe Zone has maintained zero road crash deaths between 2019 and 2021, serving as a blueprint for pilgrimage sites nationwide. In these cases, a concerted effort was undertaken to analyse road crashes and take a 360-degree approach to address them. These include enhancement of road safety furniture on the road, effective and targeted enforcement, and improvements in emergency medical response.

The methodology

The report, released in the presence of senior officials from the Centre and state governments, categorises interventions as corridor-based, network-based and state-based, covering nine corridor-based, two city/network-based, and two state-based interventions across ten states. The report not only documents "what has worked" but also "how it was done," to enable effective adoption of the good practices.

To gather these practices, all the relevant departments of all 28 states and 8 Union Territories across India were contacted with questionnaires. Further, secondary research was conducted to understand the national road safety landscape, locate promising road safety endeavours and supplement the data shared by states. The responses from states and the findings from secondary research have been presented in the report.

Minister Speak

Gadkari said, "This timely report aims to chart a safer course for India's roadways. Its comprehensive analysis will serve as a resource for policymakers, administrators and stakeholders to identify and replicate strategies that have been effective in reducing road crash deaths. I am certain that the report will serve as a much-needed catalyst for fostering collaboration and encouraging the sharing of knowledge, through its practical solutions, drawn from real-world examples, that can be tailored to suit the diverse conditions throughout India. By honing in on successful interventions specific to certain corridors or localities, the report provides a nuanced understanding of what works."

Piyush Tiwari, the founder and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation, said that road crash deaths in India have increased by seven per cent between 2018 and 2022, underscoring the need to enhance the ongoing efforts to achieve reduction in deaths. "This report has been created to act as a guidebook for states to replicate practices that have shown notable improvements in road safety. We hope that the standardised formats and templates that the study puts forth will allow for more informed initiatives at the ground level," he added.

Making a highway safer

The 111-km Old Mumbai-Pune Highway witnessed a high number of road deaths - six times higher than road crash deaths per km witnessed on the national highways. Between 2019 and 2022, 10 road safety audits were conducted across the stretch. As of 2022, of the 9,903 engineering issues identified during the crash vulnerability audit (CVA), over 3,138 have been rectified and chevron markers and road studs installed to warn road users of dangerous or sharp curvatures. Based on the CVA, certain five-kilometre stretches on NH 48 were identified as high-fatality zones. Engineering measures on these stretches were prioritised. Two black spots on the highway were rectified.