Supreme Court lists additional set of norms on road safety

The bench comprising Justice MB Lokur and Justice Deepak, which had constituted a Committee on Road Safety under the Chairmanship of former Supreme Court Judge K S Radhakrishnan during the pendency of the petition moved by Dr S Rajasekaran, Chairman and Head, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Ganga Hospital, Coimbatore, on considering the suggestions put forth by all parties issued as many as 25 directions.

While noting that most of the State Governments and union territories have already framed a Road Safety Policy, the bench held that those that have not framed such a policy namely Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Delhi, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Andaman and Nicobar Islands must now formulate the road safety policy by January 31, 2018. It also held that all States and union territories are expected to implement the Road Safety Policy with all due earnestness and seriousness.

Dr Rajasekaran had submitted that 90 per cent of road accident deaths occur due to lack of strict enforcement of safety rules on roads and lack of strict punishment for those who do not obey such rules.