At the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention, held in Delhi last week, it was highlighted that despite substantial efforts over the past decade to curb road traffic fatalities, including the transfer of advanced safety knowledge from high-income countries, the reduction in death tolls has been minimal. The conference underscored the alarming rate of road traffic deaths in India and comparable nations, calling attention to the urgent need for more effective solutions.
A Dutch think tank, the foundation Road Safety for All, sought to explain this issue. They concluded that while the knowledge from wealthier countries is valuable, it needs to be tested and adapted to the specific conditions of other nations. The think tank emphasised that not only the creators of these solutions but also local decision-makers need to fully understand and adapt this knowledge to suit their own country's context.
To address this, Road Safety for All proposed the establishment of research institutes and university programmes in countries like India to train local road safety experts. These experts would be better equipped to tailor international solutions to local needs, potentially turning them into more effective measures.
The think tank tested its conclusions by organising a workshop at the 15th World Conference. With the support of Prof Prerana Arora Singh from Nirwan University Jaipur, road safety experts from various disciplines and international organisations shared their insights. The consensus was clear: India needs stronger research facilities and dedicated road safety programmes at universities. Additionally, the need for improved crash data collection was highlighted as a critical step in addressing the issue.
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