Road safety: Analysing data key to preventing crashes

The Karnataka Government had on February 21, 2022 inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enter the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region (BMR) as one of 28 cities participating in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) to improve road safety globally.

The government-led initiative has its objectives clear: To prevent road crashes, injuries and deaths by implementing evidence-based measures through technical support from road safety experts from across the world.

Kelly Larson, who leads the road safety programme at Bloomberg Philanthropies, speaks to Rasheed Kappan on how data driven interventions can help the government prevent crashes and save lives.

How does the BIGRS initiative, which has commenced in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region, support in boosting road safety concerns?

BIGRS is a government-led initiative with a group of leading road safety organizations providing technical support for the implementation of evidence-based interventions proven to save lives. Every year, nearly 1.3 million people are killed in road crashes worldwide.

BIGRS focuses on a safe system approach to improve road safety, including: strengthening national legislation and ensuring that the legislation is implemented; improving road infrastructure to protect all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists and not just those inside vehicles; enhancing enforcement of road safety laws paired with strategic media campaigns; enhancing data collection, data systems, and data use; and prioritising speed management.

Also read: Data critical for road safety

What role does data play in identifying areas that mandate road safety interventions? How does the initiative support this aspect?

Data is essential to understanding road safety issues and designing interventions to save lives. Understanding where crashes are occurring and the circumstances around these crashes allow leaders to create short- and long-term strategies to prevent these tragedies.

For example, we know that speeding affects both the likelihood of a crash, and the severity of the consequences when a crash occurs. Data tell us that speeding, drunk-driving and lack of proper helmet use are key risk factors for road deaths in India. With this information, actions can be taken to reduce crashes.

The initiative uses multiple sources of data in partnership with governments, to inform decision-making. BIGRS partner organisations collaborate closely with the government officials to help them collect and analyse crash data, then prioritize the most effective and life-saving measures.

As many as 27,059 crashes were reported due to overspeeding in 2021 across Karnataka. These led to 7,809 fatalities and 31,190 injuries. How can driving behaviours be changed to reduce speeding in BMR?

Streets serve a wide range of functions in cities; for example, they must provide safe travel for children going to schools, people walking to markets or traveling to work, emergency responders heading to hospitals, and also serve commercial needs of businesses.

According to government and WHO reports, exceeding speed limits are the leading cause of road deaths and injuries in India. Global best practice calls for 30kmph as appropriate for roads where people live and work. Legal speed limits should be set to fit the road’s use to protect all-road users and enforced by police.

Roads can also be designed to mitigate speeds by using features like raised pedestrian crossings, narrowing roads, and other measures proven to reduce speeds. Partner organisations in the BIGRS support the government to both improve road designs to reduce speeds, and also to enhance police enforcement in line with global, evidence-based best practices.

What were the learnings and achievements from BIGRS work in Mumbai?

Strong coordination among government stakeholders, political will, effective strategic planning and reliable data are all the key aspects that have allowed Mumbai to reduce road crash fatalities by 43% since 2015, serving as an example for other cities throughout India and the world.

Bengaluru often sees public outcries against enforcement by the police, as this is perceived as a way to collect money through fines rather than improving road user behaviour. Is there an effective way to support enforcement on the ground?

The BIGRS provides support for implementation of evidence-based road safety interventions, which includes enforcement of best-practice laws. Our partners support the local police with development of strategic plans, operating procedures, and also support capacity building on the best practices for road safety enforcement.

The traffic police are in place to improve safety on the roads–the best way to avoid a speeding fine is to follow the posted speed limit. Enforcement of laws is a key piece of a comprehensive road safety approach, which also includes road design, strategic communication, accurate and timely data collection, and strengthening legislation.