Bhopal: The Additional Director General of Police Training and Research Institute Shri D.C. Sagar said that work has to be done in mission mode to ensure decline in road accidents in Madhya Pradesh. He further mentioned that besides making this work exemplary for other states, Madhya Pradesh has to be made a model state for minimum road accidents. Shri Sagar informed that one more computerized driving test centre will start in Bhopal.
ADG Shri Sagar informed that directives as regard to bring the mortality rate down in road accidents, were given by the Chairman of the Road Safety Committee of the Supreme Court, Shri Abhay Manohar Sapre (Former Justice Supreme Court) in a meeting organized with the Madhya Pradesh government through video conferencing few days ago. Shri Sapre said that more than 80 percent of the deaths in road accidents are caused by high speed of vehicles, which should be reduced. Instructing for the implementation of Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act, 2019 soon in Madhya Pradesh, he said that at present action is being taken by the Police and Transport Department only under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988/2013. Shri Sapre instructed for organizing meetings of the District Road Safety Committee (DRSC) on a quarterly basis, use of speed limiting devices (SLD), publication in gazette by making of Road Safety Fund non-lapsable and to increase highway patrolling on national and state highways for the reduction of road accidents in the state.
Moreover, ADG Shri Sagar informed that as per the decision taken in the meeting via video conferencing, instructions have been given to make available the road accident data, fitment of speed limiting devices, third party insurance and for taking action in context to Section-19 of Motor Vehicle Act,1988 with Central Motor vehicle Act, 1989 and Section-185 of Motor Vehicle Act. He further informed that instructions have been given for effective action by Police and Transport department under the Section-185 of Motor Vehicle Act, 188 for violation of speed limit, red light, action against goods carriers for carrying goods more than the capacity, transporting people in goods carriers, against drivers for not wearing helmets and using seatbelts, driving vehicles under the influence of liquor.
Instructions have been given to implement corrective traffic calming measures at accident sites, road construction agencies to send photographs, video clips as evidence of this action along with the overall report by February 2021. He said that instructions have been given to focus exclusively on imparting training related to state road safety to highway engineers and make necessary arrangements to deal with specific engineering works. Besides giving proper training to the traffic police, effective enhancement in manpower and equipment should be ensured to make it convenient to reach the parameters of BPR & D in a phased manner within the stipulated time.
The state government will continue to take action to prevent road accidents, especially identifying all the roads which are maximum prone to accidents, organizing their third party audit, implementation of audit recommendations, installation of street lights at road blocks, maintenance, repair and relocation of bridges and crash barriers, ensuring adequate availability and mapping of well-equipped ambulances and trauma care facilities at NH, SH, MDRs, especially in rural areas.
ADG Shri Sagar said that the state government has established a driver testing track and an automated vehicle testing and certificate centre, which is operational. Soon another computerized driving testing centre will also be started in Bhopal. In addition, the state government will make efforts to set up computerized driving testing centres in all districts and RTOs of the state by January 2021.
