Use traffic penalty money for road safety activities: Parliamentary Panel

The Committee suggested to come up with solutions to minimise the large number of accidents that take place due to merging of traffic

Funds generated from the payment of penalties for traffic offences should be utilized for enhancing road safety across the country, a Parliamentary Committee has recommended.

The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, in its report tabled in Parliament, said that "The funds generated through the payment of penalties for traffic offences should be utilized for the purpose of enhancing Road Safety across the country."

"The State/UT Governments may be encouraged to utilize the funds collected from the general public as a penalty for committing traffic offences towards a Road Safety Corpus to fund projects/activities that improve Road Safety in the respective State," the panel headed by Rajya Sabha member T G Venkatesh, said.

Expressing concern that the largest number of deaths due to road accidents is on roads other than National Highways and State Highways, the Committee suggested that the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways should urge the state Governments to follow certain guidelines and rules in the construction of roads and in the maintenance of roads, to ensure the safety of road users, on roads other than National Highways and State Highways also.

Pointing out that frequent road accidents occur in mountainous areas, the Committee recommended that crash barriers, made of steel or bricks, should be made mandatory on all Highways in hilly areas. The Ministry should ensure the installation of adequate signages and reflectors on roads in such areas, the Committee said.

The Committee suggested the Ministry come up with solutions to minimise the large number of accidents that take place due to merging of traffic from service lanes to the highway. "Proper signage in three languages viz., English, Hindi and regional language, maybe ensured to alert the drivers at the points where the road traffic gets merged with highways. The Ministry may look into the best international practices in terms of ensuring safety with regard to merging of traffic on the highways and incorporate the same in its road projects at the design stage itself."

The Ministry should take up identification and rectification of black spots on a war footing, across the country, the panel said.

The Committee also recommended that the Ministry should conduct research and analyse why these black spots existed in the road projects in the first place and how they can be avoided from the DPR (Detailed Project Report) preparation stage itself in the upcoming projects of the Ministry. .