Scientific Speed Management Can Significantly Reduce Fatal Crashes on Highways: IIT Kharagpur Study
New Delhi, June 26 (TNT): Scientific speed management interventions can significantly reduce fatal crash risk, fatalities and crash severity on Indian highways, according to a new study by IIT Kharagpur, providing evidence to support India’s target of halving road crash fatalities and serious injuries by 2030.
The findings were presented at a high-level road safety dialogue organised by the Road Safety Network (RSN) in partnership with IIT Kharagpur.
The study comes amid continuing concerns over road safety, with more than 1.8 lakh people losing their lives in road accidents across the country in 2024, the Institute said in a release here on Friday.
The research, conducted on a 51-km stretch of NH-16 between Balihati and Kolaghat in West Bengal, assessed the impact of design-based speed management measures on vehicle speeds and crash outcomes.
According to the study, the interventions reduced operating speeds by 39-45 per cent for cars, 29-33 per cent for heavy vehicles and 18-28 per cent for two-wheelers.
Researchers also observed substantial reductions in fatal crashes, fatalities, crash severity and the likelihood of crashes turning fatal at locations where the measures were implemented.
The study highlighted that over-speeding remains the leading cause of road accidents in India.
As per the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ Road Accidents in India 2024 report, over-speeding accounted for 62 per cent of all road crashes and claimed more than one lakh lives during the year.
Pedestrians alone accounted for 20.6 per cent of all road crash fatalities.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. (Dr.) Bhargab Maitra, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Kharagpur, and Member of the Road Safety Network, said the Safe System approach recognises that while human errors are inevitable, roads and transport systems should be designed to prevent such mistakes from resulting in deaths or serious injuries.
He said scientific speed management is central to the Safe System approach and evidence shows that aligning speed limits with road functions and the needs of vulnerable road users can substantially improve road safety outcomes.
The findings were discussed during the plenary session titled “Advancing Road Safety Through Evidence-Based Policy Interventions” held at the IIT Kharagpur Research Park.
The event brought together government officials, public health experts, researchers and road safety practitioners to deliberate on evidence-based measures for reducing road traffic fatalities.
The session featured Ms. Papia Ghosh Roy Choudhury, Special Secretary, Department of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, Government of West Bengal; Gautam Singh, Associate Director (Policy & Research), SaveLIFE Foundation; Ranjit Gadgil, Program Director, Parisar; Dr. Mohammed Asheel, National Professional Officer, World Health Organization (WHO); and S. Saroja, Executive Director, Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG).
During the dialogue, the Road Safety Network submitted a set of recommendations to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and state authorities for strengthening speed management.
The recommendations include rationalising speed limits based on road function and user risk, adopting context-sensitive speed zoning, improving road infrastructure and access control, expanding technology-driven enforcement, strengthening crash data systems and enhancing coordination among transport, enforcement, health and urban development agencies.
The RSN said the proposed measures are aimed at aligning speed management policies with road environments and the safety requirements of vulnerable road users to help India achieve its road safety targets.
TNT KS
