Cost of road accidents

COST OF ROAD ACCIDENTS

With the fast growth of traffic, the road accident rate in India is increasing at an alarming rate. 

Road accidents cause huge economic loss to society by way of

•  loss of output by fatal and injured victims
• expenses incurred in medical treatment
• administrative costs of police
• insurance companies and accident claims tribunals and
• damages to vehicles and property. 

Apart from these tangible components, intangible costs such as 

• pain
• grief and 
• suffering are also caused. 

An accurate understanding of the monetary costs of accidents of various types helps transportation planners and economists to account for this component of road user cost while undertaking an economic appraisal of highway schemes. 

In view of the urgent data gap in the country on accident costs, the Central Road Research Institute took up a limited investigation into this subject as a part of the road user cost study.

A study by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways found that average socioeconomic cost of every death due to a road accident in 2018 in the country was roughly ₹91 lakh. And as for every victim that sustained grievous injuries in road accidents in India, the cost is about ₹3.6 lakh.

The study offered three different estimates of the socioeconomic impact under three scenarios. The third estimate, which is based on the Global Burden of Disease (GDB) Study, pegs the socioeconomic impact at about ₹8.63 lakh crore.

The estimates are said to include medical expenses; loss of income due to lost output cost; pain, grief, and suffering; damage to vehicle; public asset; and administrative costs .

 

COST OF ROAD ACCIDENTS
Two main approaches are used to estimate the cost of road accidents. They are:

• Human capital (HC) approach which is based on Gross-loss-of-output methodology and
• Willingness To Pay (WTP) approach
  

The cost values obtained are updated using inflation rates. The results indicate an estimated cost of road traffic accidents. Cost estimation helps determine the economic benefit arising from preventing accidents. 

This is done through a cost-benefit-analysis that guides policy makers especially in developing countries. The above listed techniques are widely used to estimate the cost of traffic accidents. Countries such as USA, UK, Newzealand and sweeden use the WTP approach to estimate the costs while the HC approach is used by the following countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Vietnam, Portugal, Japan, Austria and many more. 

Among different variations of the HC approach, the gross loss-of-output is the easiest and most frequently used. It calculates the cost as the present value of the expected earnings that could have been achieved by the injured or the deceased person if not experienced the accident. This is done by estimating the average costs of a fatality, an injury and a damaged vehicle. These averages are then multiplied by the corresponding totals and added together with other cost components to find the  total cost of road traffic accident. Estimating the cost of road accidents requires a lot of data requiring a number of surveys  along with continuous data quality improvement.

Noise and energy impacts due to road traffic

NOISE AND ENERGY IMPACTS DUE TO ROAD TRAFFIC

NOISE DUE TO ROAD TRAFFIC

• According to the World Health Organization, traffic noise is associated with 

• sleep problems
• tiredness
• headaches
• high blood pressure
• hormonal effects
• stress and
• increased risk of heart disease. 

• It is this long-term impact on heart disease that leads to premature death.
• Communicating the impact of traffic noise to the community and other stakeholders has traditionally been difficult
• Road Agencies need to work with Planning Authorities to minimize the impact of traffic noise on the community through compatible zoning interfaces and by appropriate urban and site design that locates noise sensitive land uses such as homes and schools well away from busy roads.
• Road Agencies can increase the buffer area between the road and the community. Increasing the distance from the road from 20m to 100m can reduce noise by up to 7 dB.
• Designing road projects to increase the ability of the intervening ground to absorb sound, constructing earth mounds, having loose soil and protective vegetation can scatter the sound waves and absorb the noise levels.
• Design the road to minimize the road gradient or design new roads in cuttings or tunnels.
• Design the pavements to include quieter low noise pavements.
• Utilize ITS technologies to smooth traffic flows to avoid noise of constant starting and braking.
• Maintain road in good working order to minimize noise due to potholes, loose service covers, raveling of asphalt or uneven seal and expansion joints.
• Work with regulators to support mandatory use of low noise tyres.
• Install noise barriers and/or upgrading of homes to limit noise transmission - provide "silent" façades.
• Work with building regulators to improve existing housing stock near noisy roads to block sound transmission and provide "quiet" areas particularly for sleeping; and to require new housing stock to be designed such that the building fabric reduces noise entry and building layout is such that noise sensitive areas are located away from the road.
  

ENERGY IMPACT DUE TO ROAD TRAFFIC

• In a developing country like India, increased economic activity leads to growing income per capita. With rising standard of living, the demand for personal transportation increases.
• From the point of view of energy supply, uncertainty about the present and future availability and security of oil supplies, the prospect of rising oil prices and environmental concerns about emissions are the major challenges.
• Transport and energy are closely related
• Energy is a crucial constraint on transport and transport is a major determinant of energy demand
• India is increasingly dependent on imported petroleum
• In the transport sector, oil is extensively used in the road sector where  energy-inefficient designs, poor vehicle maintenance and low-grade roads are prevalant
• Energy consumption from trucks is expected to rise rapidly
• EcoTransit website is a practical tool used by freight services and decision makers to compare the environmental impacts of different options
• The calculation of energy consumption with emission data of a worldwide transport chain can be done quickly with the help of EcoTransIT World
• Other quantitative analyses used are:
• WTW index (Wheel To Wheel)
• WTT sub-index (Wheel To Tank)
• TTW sub-index (Tank To Wheel)
  

Air quality due to road traffic

 AIR QUALITY DUE TO TRAFFIC

• Road transport accounts for a significant portion of air pollution in cities and towns, causing serious pollution problems like carbon monoxide and smog. 
• The main reason being the increase in the use of private vehicles.
• Road traffic pollution is a major threat to clean air 
• Traffic fumes contain harmful chemicals that pollute the atmosphere. 
• Road traffic emissions produce greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
• Studies have shown excess morbidity and mortality for drivers, commuters and individuals living near major roadways. 
• Traffic is an important reason for fluctuating air quality with increasing traffic density resulting in increased air pollution .
• Transportation has directly enhanced the level of pollutant gases such as Carbon dioxide, Oxides of Nitrogen, Carbon monoxide and particulate matter
• Increasing concentration of these pollutants has caused not only health effects like cough, breathlessness and asthma but also contributed significantly to global warming
• Pollutants like particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide (SO2), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), poly-aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), trace elements, etc., are also present in the urban air and their levels are on the rise because of vehicular pollution thus disturbing the human health.
• Several studies suggest an association between automobile exhaust and increased respiratory symptoms. 
• Particulate matter (PM) is a complex mixture of chemical agents of different shape and sizes. Studies reveal that the effect of PM on human health will depend on the chemical composition of PM, besides its number and mass concentration. At elevated levels, both the categories may increase mortality and morbidity of human population. 
• The effect of SO2 on ecosystem and human health is well recognized. At significant levels, SO2 can contribute to respiratory illness, particularly for children and elderly people and intensify existing heart and lung diseases.
• Long term exposure of SO2, CO, PM and NOX cause exacerbation of asthma, cancers, particularly lymphomas, leukemia and brain cancer. 
• To control vehicle emission, regular check-up for fitness of vehicle and upgradation of fuel quality alongwith tightening of vehicle emission norms should be adopted.  
• Public transport system must be improved and grossly polluting commercial vehicles should be phased out. 
• Encouraging car pool as well as reduction in value of Vehicle Kilometer Travel (VKT) also reduced the emission profile of vehicle.
• Within the transport sector, road transport is the largest contributor to global warming

Education and propaganda of Road Safety

EDUCATION AND PROPAGATION OF ROAD SAFETY

ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION

• Road safety is no accident.
• The aim of road safety education is to reduce the risk of injury and death from road trauma and to lay the foundations for safe road use throughout life.
  
• Education of road safety is an essential component of national road safety council meetings
• Road safety education is the program of educational activities around road safety that is provided in a formal education setting
• In order to be effective, road safety education must be evidence-based.
• Adult-led learning and peer collaboration are powerful instruments in road safety engineering because of the influence of social interaction on learning
• Road safety education covers all measures that aim at positively influencing traffic behaviour patterns, with an emphasis on:
• Promotion of knowledge and understanding of traffic rules and situations
• Improvement of skills through training and experience 
• Strengthening and/or changing attitudes towards risk awareness, personal safety and the safety of other road users" 

• Traffic education as a measure is used for all kinds of road user groups and for all sorts of road safety issues. 
• In order to determine if road safety education is effective, a focus is needed on age groups and problem behaviour for which a large number of educational programmes have to be developed and few evaluation studies have to be done.  

PROPAGATION OF ROAD SAFETY

• The concept of road safety should be embraced and propagated by the Government, responsible corporate citizens, transporters, individual motorists and pedestrians because they are all prone to road accidents 
• It is of utmost importance to propagate road safety in order to disseminate good practices in road safety among various sections of the population with the aim of improving traffic flow and reducing accidents.
• Spreading of road safety information to the entire community is possible through small clips on the television, announcements in the radio, banners, hoardings at critical junctions
• Propagation of road safety can also be done by offering compulsory training sessions to serial offenders of traffic rules
  

Road safety enforcement

ROAD SAFETY ENFORCEMENT 

• Road rules will only be obeyed if people believe that not obeying them will result in unwanted outcomes like fines or license cancellation. 
• The police is responsible for enforcing road rules and should be trained and given the tools (such as speed detection and alcohol testing equipment) to do their job properly 
• It is generally accepted that enforcement influences driving behaviour through two processes
• General deterrence 
• General deterrence occurs when road users obey road rules because they perceive a substantial risk of being detected and punished if they don’t
  
• Specific deterrence.
• Specific deterrence occurs when someone who has broken the rules is punished and stops the unlawful behaviour as a result.

• Enforcement of road rules should be aimed primarily at causing general deterrence because then it is not necessary for police to catch and punish road users for them to be encouraged to obey the rules. 

  To cause general deterrence, enforcement should be

• accompanied by publicity
• unpredictable and difficult to avoid
• a mix of highly visible and less visible activities
• continued over a long period of time.

Road safety legislation

 ROAD SAFETY LEGISLATION

• The existing Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, an imperial legislation, proved to be inadequate in addressing the systemic challenges plaguing the road transport sector and has failed to ensure road safety for the people of India. Hence, the Supreme Court of India in August 2013 called the problem of road crashes in India a National Emergency.
• Road traffic in India currently operates within the legal framework established in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.  
• The sudden demise of Mr. Gopinath Munde, Union Minister for Rural Development, in a road crash in New Delhi on June 3, 2014 prompted the then newly elected government into promising new legislation with strong provisions for road safety, which would repeal the inadequate law currently in existence. 
• Following a major campaign led by SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF) including written appeals from Members of Parliament to the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, the Government of India introduced the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2016 in the Parliament on August 9, 2016, to address the issue of road safety in India.
• The SLF's ten point policy solution focuses on:
1. Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) and Non Motorised Transport (NMT)
2. Protection of children during commute
3. Robust and Scientific Accident Investigation and Data Management
4. Stringent punishment for faulty road design and engineering
5. Transparent, centralised and efficient driver licensing system
6. Mandatory driver training
7. Strict regulation of Heavy Motor Vehicles
8. Stringent punishment for drunk-driving and overspeeding
9. Stringent punishment for violation of helmet and seat-belt laws
10. National Lead Agency

The following are the difference between the old motor vehicle act (1988) and the latest motor vehicle act (2019):

NB: Old act refers to Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 and New act refers to Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019

1. While the old act had no provision for the safety of pedestrians and non-motorised road users, the new act gives power to state governments to regulate the activities of pedestrians and non-motorised road users in a public place.
2. While the old act did not have any provision to protect children during the commute, the new act makes it mandatory for every child to be secured by a safety belt or a child-restraint system. The new law also makes the accompanying adult accountable by imposing a penalty of Rs. 1000.
3. The amendment bill of 2019 requires every child above the age of 4 years to wear a helmet when being carried on a motorcycle
4. While the old act had no provision to recall vehicles that were old, unsafe or harmful to the environment. the new bill empowers the central government to recall vehicles that do not meet standards.
5. The new act allows for establishment of testing agencies for issuing certificates of approval

• Under the old act, a person may have multiple licenses from different states and is exempt from the test if he/she possess the driving certificate issued by any institution recognised by the state government
• The renewal of transport licenses has been increased to five years from three years.
• The renewal of transport licenses has been increased to five years from three years.
•  The renewal of transport licenses for hazardous goods has been increased to three years from one year

Road safety issues and various measures for road safety

ROAD SAFETY ISSUES

• The agencies, contractors or consultants involved in design, laying down and maintenance of roads,
• Research shows that the risk of being involved in a traffic crash increases with every kilometer traveled in a personal vehicle
• Increased use of public transport improves accessibility, thereby improving road safety.
• Vehicles could potentially damage the health and safety of road users, because of design flaws
• Many traffic offenses in India, such as drunk driving and speeding, currently have low penal provisions.
• Road traffic crashes are an epidemic in India and this is not only a public health issue but also an economic one. 
  

VARIOUS MEASURES FOR ROAD SAFETY

• Improved road safety has been demonstrated through effective central legislation
• Using public transport is an effective way of improving road safety
• The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill
• proposes creating a board with representation from state governments to advise central and state governments on road safety and traffic management. 
• clearly links infrastructure design to safety
• empowers the central government to come up with national transport policy, which would help develop a framework for planning, granting permits and setting priorities for the road transport sector
• proposes a new category of permits that will help scale up public transport services in cities as well as rural areas.
• empowers the government to ask manufacturers to recall motor vehicles if they could potentially damage the health and safety of road users, whether because of design flaws, emissions or other features
• imposes enhanced penalties will act as a deterrent and improve safety.
• would also create a Motor Vehicles Accident Fund that provides compulsory insurance to all road users including drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians
• protects “Good Samaritans,” anyone who assists a crash victim by providing emergency medical or non-medical support, from any civil or criminal action
• For offenses committed by juvenile drivers, the bill proposes that the guardian or owner of the vehicle would be guilty.

•  Based on evidence provided by World Resources Institute (WRI) a road safety and sustainable mobility awareness program called Safer by design through opinion pieces workshops and trainings for civil society groups and trucking and taxi associations helps build consensus that sustainable mobility plays an important role in improving road safety.