Publication: The Times Of India Kolkata;

Date: Jul 17, 2013;

Section: Times Nation;

Page: 12

New norms soon for carrying rods, pipes

Dipak Kumar Dash TNN 

NewDelhi:The government is likely to amend the Central Motor Vehicle Rules to ban vehicles from carrying rods and pipes protruding up to one metre beyond the body frame.

    Sources in the road transport ministry said they were considering whether Section 93 of the Rules could be done away with as such protruding materials were responsible for several accidents and loss of lives.

    A senior official said they would soon start consultations to address the issue.

    The Supreme Court had on Monday sought the Centre’s response after a PIL said thousands of motorists died every year in accidents caused by trucks parked recklessly on highways, many with iron rods protruding from their body frames.

    Section 93 of CMVR, 1989 allows goods vehicles to carry poles or rods or indivisible load “so long as the projecting part or parts do not exceed the distance of one metre beyond the rear most point of the motor vehicle”. However, this is followed mostly in the breach with rods and other material often protruding beyond two metres.

    “When the CMVR was finalized, we did not have huge vehicles. That could have been the reason behind having this provision. Now, the situation has changed and we have big vehicles. There is no reason why this section can’t be amended so that we don’t have such a situation on highways. We also need to address how we can deal with the menace on city roads,” a road transport ministry official said.

    Truck drivers seldom follow the rule of fixing blinkers at the end point of protruding material to warn vehicles coming from behind. Sometimes, city police teams conduct surprise checks. But there is hardly any regulation on highways to detect such violations, particularly during night.

    K K Kapila, president of International Road Federation (IRF), said while rules are made stringent, there is a need to enforce norms. “Patrolling on highways and city roads to check such violations and unsafe practices must be stepped up. Fear of being caught will bring major change,” he added.

    The ministry’s road fatalities data for 2011 shows that 10,841 persons were killed in accidents due to protruding load while 33,604 lives were lost in road crashes caused due to overloading. Uttar Pradesh reported the maximum of 3,779 fatalities in protruding cases while it was 1,663 in Maharashtra.

    Meanwhile, to check the overloading menace, the road transport ministry has circulated a Cabinet note to give power and incentive to highway developers to catch such vehicles plying on stretches managed by them. According to the proposal, which has been cleared by an inter-ministerial group (IMG), overloaded vehicles would have to pay 10 times the normal toll and that amount would go to the private developer.

    For this, the developers would install weigh-in-motion bridges prior to toll plazas so that such vehicles can be stopped. Moreover, the trucks won’t be allowed to move until they offload extra weight at their own cost. “The developers can seek help of local police in such cases,” a ministry official said. 

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ROAD SAFETY-Road Safety in Indian Cities

Sanjay K. Singh
Associate Professor of Economics,Indian Institute of Management,Lucknow

Source-URBAN MOBILITY,IRF BULLETIN

More than 240 people get killed every week in India's metropolitan cities(cities with populations of a million or more).There are 34 fatalities per week on the roads of Delhi alone!But,Delhi is not the riskiest city in the country.No less than 16 other metropolitan cities present a higher risk than Delhi.The level of risk in the cities of Uttar Pradesh,the most populous state of India,is more than twice that of the other cities in the country(see Figure).

Why then is the road safety situation so bad in so many cities of India?The main reason appears to be the prevailing imbalance in modal split coupled with inadequate transport infrastructure and its sub-optimal use.Very few cities have an adequate public transport system.People reply primarily on personalised modes such as cars and two-wheelers and para-transit modes such as cars and two-wwheelers and para-transit modes such as auto-rickshaws and tempos.In most of the cities,two-wheelers and cars account for over 90% of the vehicle population,whereas the share of buses is negligible.In general,the road space in cities is grossly insufficient and the problem of traffic accidents is further aggravated by the mixed nature of traffic composition.Experience shows that fatalities tend to be concentrated around roads that are dysfunctional in the sense that they are not fit for carrying such mixed streams of intense fast and slow moving traffic safely.Typical features aggravating injuries and fatalities include traffic volumes and speeds that the roads were simply not designed for,high proportions of young and inexperienced drivers and high levels of non-motorised transport users,such as cyclists and pedestrians,vying for the same road space.

Most of the traffic accidents are attributed to human error.For this reason,road safety initiatives traditionally focus on 'fixing' the driver in order to prevent crashes.While there can be doubt that approaches involving road safety education and enforcement are essential in curtailing traffic accidents,there is an equal and parellel need for more focus on mitigating te outcome of accidents by designing safer vehicles and safer roads.

Roads should be designed in such a way that they are not only self-explaining but also'forgiving'.Accidents are less likely to occur on self-explaining roads and injuries will tend to be fewer and less severe on forgiving roads.A self-explaining road shows road users precisely where they should be at any given moment and guides them on how to procees safely.For example,a simple
cost effective pedestrian refuge(a small raised and protected island)in the middle of the busy road ,where pedestrians can pause before continuing to cross,not only clearly indiacates where to cross,but also makes crossing much easier and safer.

Forgiving roads protect road users in the event of an accident.Road design must recognise that accidents can occur and ensure that injuries and fatalities are minimised.For example,simple engineering features like safely barriers can be used to separate fast moving vehicles from people.Similarly,crash cushions can be used to reduce the consequences of an accident.

While increased mobility is essential for economic development and the relief of poverty,it should not be at the cost of escalating fatality rates among the poorer and most vulnerable sections of society.Appropriate action needs to be taken that simultaneously addresses vehicles,user behaviour and the design of the roads themselves.A key part of the solution lies in accessing the networks of metropolitan cities and identifying those dysfunctional roads on which large numbers of road users are being killed or seriously injured.These roads should then be targeted for safety upgrading through affordable,cost effective measures.

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Indian Design Guidelines(IRC103-1988)

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Advertorial: How to make your road trips safe(Source IBN live)

Road safety is an issue of key concern for both the government and the people on Indian roads. Safe driving requires a higher level of confidence and competence, given the poor traffic planning, increasing number of vehicles, and lack of civic driving sense and untrained drivers on the road.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. promotes safe driving and ensures safety of the people by taking all measures for road safety awareness.

A few points shared below, can help us maintain safety of self and those riding with us. These tips help you become a smart and responsive driver.

More Mileage, More Fun

Drive between 45 and 55 kmph -- It has been established by trials that you can get up to 40 per cent extra mileage at 40 kmph as compared to 80 kmph.

Avoid accelerating or decelerating unnecessarily. Incorrect gear shifts can lead to as much as 20% increase in fuel consumption -- For city driving, change to a higher gear when you are sure that the engine will not have to struggle.Get into top gear as soon as possible.

Check wheels for free rotation when your car is being serviced. Binding brakes restrict free wheel movement and the engine consumes more petrol in order to overcome resistance.

Use your clutch only when you change gears. Riding the clutch causes loss of energy and damages the clutch lining.

You can save as much as 6 per cent fuel through regular tuning of car. If your engine emits black or dark grey smoke, has poor pulling power or consumes large quantities of oil, have it checked immediately at an authorised service station.

Your air filter prevents air from fouling the engine. Dust causes rapid wear of engine components and increases fuel consumption.

Make sure that the fuel tank cap has a good rubber seal. Unnecessary loads increase fuel consumption. A reduction of weight by about 50 kg can lead to a 2 per cent saving in fuel, when driving in the city.

Under inflated tyres increase rolling resistance which leads to higher petrol consumption and faster wear of tyres at the sides.

Better Maintenance, Longer Drive

Do all preventive maintenance of your vehicle and stick to the maintenance schedule -- If you notice any fault, consult your service station.

Daily pre-driving checks must be carried out by all drivers, both inside the vehicle and outside.

High-Speed Watchout

Stopping distance progressively increases with vehicle speed. Apply the brakes far before of the stopping point to allow for the extra stopping distance.

At high speeds, the vehicle may be affected by side winds. Therefore, reduce speed and be prepared for unexpected buffeting, which can occur at the exits of tunnels, when passing by a cut of a hill, or when being overtaken by large vehicles, etc.

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SOME MAJOR TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS AFFECTING SAFETY

Red Light Jumping: You feel that by jumping red light you are saving upon your time. But it is not so. In fact you are losing it and playing with your life and is getting yourself booked under the law


Improper & Obstructive Parking: No parking should be done on road, except when specifically permitted by a direction on a board. Don’t blame when you are stuck in traffic jam next time, some among you may have parked obstructively on the road.


Violation of Mandatory Signs: There are certain mandatory signs, violation of which may put you in trouble. These are entering a one-way road from the opposite side, taking a right turn or left turn at places where it is prohibited, and blowing of horn where it is prohibited


Overtaking: On certain roads overtaking is strictly prohibited. These are the ones where the volume of traffic is very high. When overtaking on roads where it is not prohibited you should exercise great caution and put your power of judgement to its proper use.


Drunken Driving: Drunken driving is the gravest of all traffic offences. It is dangerous not only for you but also for other road users.

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Know the Road Markings 2

Single Yellow Line: You cannot cross this line except while turning Right or taking a U-Turn.


Box Junction: A rectangular box with yellow crossed diagonal lines. Vehicles are not supposed to stop at this even for a brief period. Vehicles should cross it only if they have a clear space available ahead of the yellow box.


Stop Line: A single solid transverse line at the intersection. If the light signal is red or the traffic officer signals to ’Stop’ one is to stop the vehicle before this line.


Zebra Crossing: Alternate black and white stripes painted parallel to the road for pedestrians to cross the road when signals indicate so. Vehicles must stop and give way to pedestrians at these crossings. Pedestrian crossings are marked to facilitate and give the right of way to pedestrians.

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KNOW THE MARKINGS ON ROAD

All lines, patterns, words and colours applied on or attached to the road surface or kerbs are road markings. These are meant to direct, guide and regulate the road users. They are, in fact, the languages of road.

Centre Line: This white broken line divides the road into two, separating opposing stream of traffic. This line can be crossed if overtaking is essential provided the oncoming carriageway is clear

Double White/Yellow Lines:These divide the road into two and overtaking/crossing these lines from both side and U-turn is strictly prohibited.
White less than and greater than signs: This indicates to slow down and proceed carefully. This road marking is generally found on roads near a school, college or hospital.

Small Broken White Lines:These demarcate the lanes on a road. Vehicles are supposed to move in between these lines. The left most lane is for buses, heavy vehicles and slow moving vehicles. The middle lane is for LMVs, scooters & motor cycles & the right most lane is for overtaking & turning right.

Parking prohibited Lines:Continuous single yellow/white line at the edge of the carriageway indicates that no vehicle can be parked but vehicle can be stopped along such a road. Continuous double yellow/white lines indicate that both parking and stopping are prohibited.

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