Road safety Guidelines for Car drivers

# Always carry your driving license and important documents such as your vehicle registration certificate, insurance certificate, road tax and P.U.C certificate with you while driving.
# Don't Drink while Driving.
# Don't Drive under the influence of drugs.
# Obey all traffic signals, lights and signs.
# Use the indicator or hand signals when changing lanes.
# Adhere to permitted speed limits.
# Don't use your cell phone while driving. If you must, move to the left, halt and then make the call.
# Irrespective of right of way, stay alert and be considerate to pedestrians especially senior citizens, handicapped, ladies and children.
# Do not overload your vehicles - be it luggage or passengers.
# Do not use tinted glasses, lenses or visors or anything that restricts vision at night or in poor visibility conditions.
# Do not drink and drive as it adversely affects your judgement and abilities.
# Wear seat belts.
# Always drive using the correct gear.
# Avoid sudden braking and harsh acceleration.
# Never use the clutch as footrest while driving.
# Do not overload your vehicle or trailer. Never tow greater weight than recommended by the manufacturer of your vehicle.
# Please ensure that all children under 14 years of age wear seat belts or sit in an approved child restraint.
# Driving in fatigue enhances the probability of an accident. To minimise this risk you must follow these rules:

1. Make sure you are fit to drive. Do not undertake a long journey (longer than an hour) if you feel tired.
2. Avoid undertaking long journeys between midnight and early morning hours, when natural alertness is at its worst.
3. Plan your journey in breaks. A minimum break of at least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving is recommended.
4. If you feel sleepy, stop at a safe place. Do not stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway
5. The most effective ways to counter sleepiness are to take a short nap (up to 15 minutes) or drink, for example, two cups of strong coffee. Fresh air, exercise or turning up the radio may help for a short time, but are not as effective.

# Children in cars. Drivers who are carrying children in cars should ensure that :

1. Children do not sit behind the rear seats in an estate car or hatchback, unless a special child seat has been fitted.
2. The child safety door locks, where fitted, are used when children are in the car.
3. Children are kept under control.
4. A rear-facing baby seat is never fitted into a seat protected by an AIRBAG.

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Road safety Guidelines for Motorcyclists

We can avoid accidents by following guidelines:

1. While driving always carry your driving license and important documents such as your vehicle registration certificate, insurance certificate, road tax and P.U.C certificate
2. MUST NOT carry more than one pillion rider and he/she MUST sit astride the machine on a proper seat and should keep both feet on the footrests.
3. Make yourself as visible as possible from the sides as well as the front and rear. You could wear a white or brightly coloured helmet. Wear fluorescent clothing or strips. Dipped headlights, even in good daylight, may also make you more conspicuous.
4. You should be aware of what is behind and in the sides before maneuvering. Look behind you; use mirrors if they are fitted.
5. Wear reflective clothing or strips to improve your chances of being seen in the dark.
6. Never Drink while driving
7. Follow the traffic signals, lights and signs
8. Avoid using the cell phone when driving. If urgent move to left, stop and then take the call
9. Do not ride at high speeds. You may lose control and your life in the bargain
10. Always use a helmet
11. Do not ride or wheel your vehicle on to the footpath
12. Use your lights when riding at night
13. Understand the signals given by other road users and use the same when riding
14. Never stop abruptly in traffic. Move to the left and slow down
15. When passing a stationery vehicle allow sufficient clearance for the car doors which may open suddenly
16. Do not try and weave your way through stationery or slow moving traffic. It may cause accidents
17. Slow down at zebra crossing and if needs be stop
18. Always ride with both hands on the handlebar except when signaling
19. Don't sit children on fuel tanks or stand them in front of the rider
20. Avoid using brakes at turns. If needed, ensure both brakes are applied gently
21. MUST wear a protective helmet. Helmets MUST comply with the Regulations and they MUST be fastened securely.


Facts about Helmet : Delhi Traffic Police, New Delhi (India) – Guidelines for Motorcyclists

1. It should not obstruct vision.
2. It should not impair with hearing.
3. It should be light weight.
4. It should not cause fatigue which causes crashes.
5. It should not cause skin diseases.
6. It should not increase the probability of neck injuries.

Kinds of helmets to be used :

It should have a thick padding of thermocole- at least 20 mm- which must extend to the sides of the head. A full face helmet is safer by all means.

Components of the helmet and their roles :
The Shell : The shell of a helmet is an injection molded thermoplastic or a pressure molded thermoset that is reinforced with glass fibers or made of fiber glass.

1. It absorbs energy in an impact:- The shell bends when the helmet is impacted and the underlying foam deforms. At moderate speeds the shell can take one-third of the impact energy.
2. It distributes local forces from an impact:- Rigid objects like stone or a projecting beam can cause a skull fracture at low forces, the shell acts to distribute the force of such impact eliminating the risk of penetration.
3. It allows sliding on road surfaces:- The shell being rigid and having a convex shape allows the helmet to slide along a road surface without there being an excessive force.
4. It protects the face and temples:- Full-face helmet is beneficial in protecting the face and jaw. The chin bar of such helmets contain rigid foam to absorb energy for direct blows on the chin, prevent facial bone fractures and prevent the lower part of the forehead and temple being struck.

The foam liner : This is a molding of polystyrene beads or polyurethane foam. It provides a stopping distance for the head. The foam can compress by 90% during an impact, although it recovers partially afterwards. But this helps increase the stopping distance thus reducing the peak deceleration of the head. It also protects as much as possible of the head.
Proper strapping system : It is essential to wear a well-fitting helmet for the effective working of chinstrap system. To test if the helmet fits your head properly, tightly fasten the chinstrap and then pull helmet off forward by gripping the rear and then pulling. The strap must be threaded correctly so that the buckle locks the strap when it is pulled from the chin side. The strap must be pulled as tight as is bearable under the chin.

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Road Safety Guidelines for Bus Commuters

Bus commuters should never board or deboard a moving bus. Maintaining a queue while boarding the bus will help avoid unnecessary hustle and bustle and will also save time. Once inside the bus keep your calm avoid shouting or making noise that would distract the driver, always hold onto the handrail if standing in a moving bus, stay away from the footboard of the bus and never put any part of the body outside a moving or stationary bus.

Commuters should observe the following guidelines when traveling on the bus :

1. Commuters should not distract the bus driver while the bus in motion. All queries and requests are to be directed to the bus driver prior to travel or at the end of the journey.
2. Commuters should conduct themselves in a respectable and responsible manner at all times ensuring that their behaviour does not endanger the comfort and safety of their fellow passengers or the bus driver.
3. The bus driver should not make any unscheduled stops in the course of travel.
4. Commuters who breach these guidelines or who in the opinion of the bus driver have not acted in a responsible or respectable manner may be refused travel in the future.
5. All commuters must hand over to the bus driver a valid pre-purchased ticket on entering the bus.
6. Any commuter who does not hand over a valid pre-purchased ticket will be refused travel by the bus driver.

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Road safety Guidelines for Cyclists

In the year 2003, 772 Cyclists were involved in accidents on Delhi Roads. 171 of them succumbed to their injuries while 646 were seriously injured. In order to be safe while cycling on roads of Delhi, keep the following tips in mind.

CYCLING ON ROADS

1.Before riding a cycle on roads see if you can;

1. Ride in a straight line for 10 meters.
2. Stop suddenly without falling.
3. Give signals with one hand while riding.
4. Look back over your shoulders and take a right turn comfortably.

2.Before you go out on the road with your bicycle, ensure that;

1. The bicycle is easily noticeable. It should be painted yellow, orange or white.
2. Reflectors are provided on spokes of wheels, on the pedals and on the front / rear mudguard.
3. Both the brakes are working properly
4. The bell rings properly.
5. The seat is so adjusted that your feet can touch the ground.

3.While on the road with your bicycle

a. You should wear:

1. A cycle helmet made of light thermocol.
2. Appropriate clothes for cycling. Avoid clothes which may get tangled in the chain, or in a wheel or may obscure your lights.
3. Light-coloured or fluorescent clothing which helps other road users to see you even in dark and poorly lit roads.
4. Reflective clothing and/or accessories (belt, arm or ankle bands) in the dark.

b. You should also follow these rules:

1. Never ride with just one hand on the handle bar except when giving a signal.
2. Keep both feet on the pedals.
3. Do not ride more than two abreast.
4. Use the cycle lane, whereever provided.
5. Never follow any vehicle closely. Maintain safe distance.
6. Do not carry anything which may affect your balance or may get tangled up with your cycle wheels or chain.
7. Avoid big and busy roads with fast moving traffic.
8. Stop before you enter moving traffic from a driveway, a parking lot, a minor road, or from behind a parked car or bus. Go ahead only when the way is clear.
9. Ride on the left of the road, with other traffic.
10. If you are passing a stopped car be careful, a door may suddenly open.
11. Obey stop signs and traffic lights, like the rest of the traffic.
12. Before turning right at a crossing, look back over your shoulder, and give way to the traffic coming from behind.
13. Never stop your cycle on a pedestrian crossing.
14. Never ride your cycle on a footpath.
15. Never try to overtake- if you must, do it only if the driver of the vehicle in your front has permitted or signaled you to overtake.
16. Never try to overtake a vehicle, which is in the process of taking a turn.
17. Always follow the light signals wherever you notice them. Any violation of the same is not only against the law but also dangerous to your life.
18. Do not enter a street where you see the "No Entry" sign.
19. Slow down at the zebra crossing- better stop if you see people crossing the road.
20. You should learn and understand the language of signals given by the other road users and the signal you are expected to give while riding your cycle on the road.
21. Never stop suddenly without showing a signal. Watchfully move towards the left while slowing down, but signal your intentions to the traffic following you.
22. Under no circumstances should you ride on the wrong side of the road or cross the road abruptly.

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Road Safety Guidelines for Pedestrians

The most important safety tip to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities is to pay attention. You can significantly reduce your chances of being in a collision with a motor vehicle by obeying traffic rules and being aware of dangers posed by cars in your vicinity. Make eye contact with drivers if possible and make sure that they can see you.

Pedestrians must :

1. Where possible, avoid walking next to the kerb with your back to the traffic. If you have to step into the road, look both ways first.
2. Wear or carry something light coloured, bright or fluorescent in poor daylight conditions. When it is dark, use reflective materials (e.g. armbands, sashes, waistcoats and jackets), which can be seen, by drivers using headlights, up to three times as far away as non-reflective materials.
3. Young children should not be out alone on the pavement or road ( see Rule 7 ). When taking children out, walk between them and the traffic and hold their hands firmly. Strap very young children into push-chairs or use reins.
4. Always walk on the footpath, they are meant for you. Where there is no footpath, walk in the right side margin of the road so that you can see the traffic coming in the opposite direction.
5. Cross roads where there are pedestrian crossings. They have been painted at great cost for your convenience.
6. Where there are no pedestrian crossings, watch the traffic on both sides and cross when it is safe.
7. You MUST NOT walk on motorways or slip roads except in an emergency
8. Never walk on the main carriageway, it could be fatal
9. Do not read newspapers or look at hoardings while walking on the road.
10. Do not greet friends on the road. Take them to the footpath or the side margin.
11. Do not come on to the main road while waiting for a bus. Stay on the footpath at earmarked bus stoppage.
12. Where there are barriers, cross the road only at the gaps provided for pedestrians. Do not climb over the barriers or walk between them and the road.
13. Do not run after a moving bus. Follow safety rules on the road and live long.
14. You MUST NOT get on to or hold on to a moving vehicle.
15. Don't "Drink and Walk." If you've been drinking, take a cab or a bus, or let someone sober drive you home.
16. When walking at night, wear retro-reflective outdoor clothing or shoes or lights to make you more visible. Avoid wearing dark clothing.
17. At all crossings. When using any type of crossing you should always check that the traffic has stopped before you start to cross or push a pram onto a crossing . Always cross between the studs or over the zebra markings. Do not cross at the side of the crossing or on the zig-zag lines, as it can be dangerous. You MUST NOT loiter on zebra, pelican or puffin crossings.

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Road Safety Guidelines for parents of school children :

1. Parents are equally responsible for the safety of their children during school journeys.
2. They must ensure that the mode of transport arranged by school or by themselves is absolutely safe.
3. Parents must play the role of vigilant observers. They should note down violations committed by school buses and immediately report to the authorities.
4. Parents must participate in P.T.A. meetings and discuss the safety aspects of their children.
5. While taking their children to school themselves, they should take proper care of their safety.
6. Parents must ensure that the children acquire the right knowledge and skills for safe use of roads. They should teach their children the basic rules of the road, how to walk and cross the road, how to alight and board a bus etc.
7. Parents should not allow their minor children to drive.
8. Parents must also ensure that the right attitude for a law abiding citizen is imparted to their children by the family.
9. Children are very good observers and therefore, parents must set an example by meticulously observing even small traffic rules.

Remember safety of children must be the foremost priority of every parent.

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Safety Guidelines for Children

The advice given below on crossing the road is especially for children. Children should be taught the safety code and should not be allowed on the road alone until they can understand and follow it properly. Children learn by example, so parents and teachers should always follow the Code proprely when going out with their children. They are responsible for deciding at what age children can use it safely by themselves.

While Walking to School

1. Always walk on the footpath only. On roads without footpath, walk on the extreme right hand side of the roads.
2. Do not be impatient on the road. Do not rush or run on the road.
3. Cross only at Zebra crossings, traffic signals, subways, foot over-bridges. Where such facilities do not exist, look for a safe place to cross.
4. At the signal lights, cross only on a clear green signal. If an intersection is controlled by a policeman, traffic warden or RSP cadet, cross only when he signals you to do so.
5. When crossing between vehicles parked on the side of the road, remember that you are not visible to the moving traffic (because the parked vehicles may be taller than you). Stop as you appear from behind the vehicle and look for a safe gap before crossing. Remember, drivers need plenty of time to see you and to slow down and stop.
6. While crossing wide roads that have central islands, always cross in two stages. Cross to the central Island , stop, and cross when the next section is clear.
7. While crossing one-way streets, remember that the traffic will usually be moving in a number of lanes and at higher speeds. Do not cross unless all lanes are clear.
8. Never cross a road at a corner/curve, as the motorist taking the turn will not be able to see you in time.
9. Running across the road is a bad idea, as you may slip and fall.

While going by bus

1. Leave home well in time, so that you won't have to run to catch the bus.
2. At the bus stand, always follow the queue. Board the bus only after it has come to a halt, without rushing in or pushing others.
3. While in the bus, shouting or making a noise is definitely bad manners. Such behavior can also distract the driver.
4. Do not board or alight at a bus stop other than the one decided by the school. Never board and alight at a red light crossing or unauthorized bus stop.
5. Always hold onto the handrail if standing in a moving bus, especially on sharp turns.
6. Do not sit, stand or travel on the footboard of the bus.
7. Do not put any part of your body outside a moving or stationary bus.
8. Always adhere to the bus safety rules.

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