CHENNAI: By installing speed governors, as much as 20-25 per cent of road accident deaths caused by commercial vehicles can be reduced, Kamal Soi, Member – National Road Safety Council, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has said.
Addressing media here on Saturday, Soi said India had the highest number of road accidents worldwide, with Tamil Nadu leading the chart among states in the country as per the National Crime Records Bureau report for 2015. During that year, TN had witnessed 69,059 road accidents and 15,642 deaths.
He said commercial vehicles driving at high speed on highways were the main causative factor, accounting for close to 50 per cent of road accident deaths. In such a backdrop, he opined that speed limiting devices (SLD) such as speed governor was the need of the hour.
Significantly, following a Supreme Court directive, the Central government through a notification issued in 2015 had made it compulsory for various categories of transport vehicles to be fitted with speed governor. But since then the deadline has been repeatedly been delayed with truckers registering their strong opposition.
According to the road safety expert, TN is lagging behind in ensuring the installation of speed governors which is a life saving device, even as other states such as Karnataka and Haryana are in the process of doing so. Karnataka has seen 10 per cent reduction in accidents in the first year, he claimed.
“The State must shortlist and empanel manufacturers of speed governors based on their technical expertise and service guarantee. This will prevent unapproved SLD manufacturers from supplying unreliable products.”
Speed governors, with a maximum permissible speed of 80 kmph, allow the driver to ride at a reasonable pace which then keep him in control of any situation, Soi added.
On the Centre’s proposal to scrap old vehicles that have crossed 15 years, Soi welcomed the initiative, stating, “About 37 per cent of commercial vehicles that are on road currently exceed 20 years. They are not in a good condition for driving and thus lead to accidents.”