India's charting a new path for ensuring road safety - after years of a shoddy track record in the same. The ministry of road transport and highways is planning to take corrective and preventive measures to remove all flaws in the existing plan.

“We are in the process of adopting road safety action plan in consultation with all the stakeholders,” ministry of state for road transport & highway R.P.N. Singh said at the CII function on the road safety in New Delhi.

“India’s record in the road safety is worst in the world,” Singh admitted.

The ministry’s pro-active amercement came after it received flak from different quarters on issue of money spent on road safety. In the fiscal year 2009-10, the ministry has just utilised 28.34 percent of its allocated funds for road safety, the ministry admitted in the Lok Sabha proceeding recently. It is dubbed as the worst utilisation of the government’s allocation in the past decade.

The central government had allocated fund of Rs 79 crore on road safety which the minister of road transport could spent only Rs 22.39 crore.

Elaborating about the plan, Singh said it will have a wholesome cover safety areas with a coherent, multi-sectoral and integrated approach. “The ministry will soon launch the action plan, which recognises the need on improving data collection, standard guidelines for highways and urban roads, reviewing safety standards, driving license system and initiating capacity building measures such as establishment of centres of excellence for research on road safety,” he said.

The ministry is also studying the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board Bill 2010. “The ministry is approaching the state governments to make the Bill more comprehensive,” the junior minister commented.  
Recognising the need for quick assistance to the accident victims, the road ministry and ministry of health and family welfare are developing network of trauma centres on the national highways. “The main idea of setting up of trauma centres is to ensure so that accident victims are able to get competent medical assistance within the shortest possible time thereby saving precious lives,” Singh added. The government has provided Rs. 732 crore under this scheme.

According to a report, the National Highways account for 29 percent total accidents and 36 percent of total deaths in 2008. There were as many as 1.20 lakh people killed in road accidents and 4.84 lakh total accidents in 2008 as per data available with the ministry of road transport.