As we celebrate National Safety Week every year between 4th – 10th March, the theme of this year is Road Safety. Road Safety is a topic of highest concern for almost every state in India. As per the report by National Crime Record Bureau, India witnessed a total of 4,37,386 road accidents, out of which 1,54,732 people died and around 4,39,262 people were injured. The numbers seem to be raising each passing year when compared with the past data.
If we look at one of the theories – Heinrich Safety Pyramid, where Mr. Heinrich says that on every 300 near misses, there are 29 minor injuries and 1 major injury. The pyramid focuses on the severity and frequency of the accidents on the basis of the near-miss. It proves that the massive number of severe injuries can be reduced if we focus on reducing the number of near-miss and minor injuries. The theory also draws attention to the black spots where there are a higher number of accidents occurring, which it is taken care of, the number of near-miss or accidents will reduce automatically.
One of the classic examples by Times of India is the NH-48 from Vadodara, Gujarat where 451 people lost their lives in almost 4 years. The highway is truly known to be leading to hell. The government has identified 14 black spots which have witnessed 293 accidents within 3 years. The spots include the entry points to different villages. Here, the government keeps a note on the near-miss from the black spots area to avoid serious injuries and deaths.
If the Heinrich Safety Pyramid is applied at all the major accidental places of the country, the number of severe accidents and fatalities will reduce soon and the roads, as well as the highways, will be a safer place to drive on. Along with this, passengers should follow proper driving rules and wear proper PPE kits while driving such as helmets, Seat belts, etc. which can save them from serious injuries as well as deaths. This National Safety Week, let us all take a pledge to help the nation reduce the number of road accidents and deaths by doing our bits because someone is waiting for you BACK AT HOME!
Written & Compiled by Faber Mayuri & Faber Priyal
