Vision screening critical to National Road Safety Plan

Subject :Schemes

Concept :

With the Supreme Court-appointed Committee on Road Safety observing that there are 1.5 lakh annual deaths due to road crashes, leading eye health organisations are now calling for the inclusion of vision check-ups for drivers in the National Road Safety Plan (NRSP).
While the package of preventive measures in the plan include wearing seat belts, reducing speed, road and intersection design, and not overloading, there is an urgent need to include vision correction activities for drivers of commercial vehicles in the plan, say leading non-profits in the eye healthcare space.

Background

India’s nearly 1.5 lakh road deaths annually account for 11 per cent of the total global deaths caused by road accidents.
Numerous vision initiatives with commercial driving communities reveal substantial levels of uncorrected blurry vision — both distance vision required to judge oncoming traffic and avoid hazards on the road as well as near vision to see navigation apps — among truck, bus, automobile drivers.

National Road Safety Policy/Plan

The Government formulated the National Road Safety Policy (NRSP) in 2010 based on the recommendations of S Sundar Committee.
The Government is committed to to raise awareness about safety issues and extend assistance to the State Governments and local administrations in ensuring road safety.
Under the policy, the Government reviewed standards that govern road design and the maintenance of vehicles.

Other Government Initiatives

District Road Safety Committees :
District Road Safety Committees (DRSC) have been established in each district under the Section 215 of the Motor Vehicle Act of 1988.
The DRSCs are tasked with conducting an ongoing analysis of the district’s traffic collisions and gathering information on incidents, their causes, accident sites, and victim information.
They are also in-charge of creating a district road safety plan, an emergency medical plan, and making sure that ambulances were accessible and connected to hospitals.
Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act,2019 :
The Government amended the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, in 2019 and enhanced the road safety measures: (a) Creating a National Road Safety Board to advise the government on road and traffic management (Notified in September 2021); (b) Higher fines for traffic crimes; (c) Recalling defective vehicles, dangerous for the environment and people; (d) Creating a Solatium Fund for victims of hit-and-run accidents; (e) Punishment to the owner for violations committed by Juvenile; (f) Regulated corruption by Automated testing for driver’s licence and fitness certificate (FC).

Good Samaritan Law:

The Act also protects Good Samaritans from civil and criminal liability.
In October 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) issued Guidelines for the Scheme for grant of Award to the Good Samaritans who save the life of a victim from a fatal accident involving a motor vehicle.
A Good Samaritan is a person who voluntarily comes forward to administer emergency care to a person injured in an accident, or crash, or emergency situation.
In 2016, the Supreme Court of India gave “force of law” to the guidelines for the protection of Good Samaritans issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Good Samaritan Law protects Good Samaritans from harassment e.g., Police should not involve the Good Samaritans for investigation or the Hospitals should not refuse to treat the accident victims and should not charge for First Aid.