Increase in traffic rule compliance post-MV Act notification: Study
MUMBAI: A study conducted in Maharashtra and Delhi has shown increase in traffic rule compliance after the union government notified new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 (MVAA), that has provision for higher penalties.
The study was conducted in order to assess the immediate impact of the notification on driver behaviour and compliance. SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF) conducted this observational study in Maharashtra and Delhi in two phases – pre and post-implementation of the MVAA, 2019 to capture and compare the experience of drivers on Indian roads, especially with regard to offences for which penalties have been increased, said Piyush Tewari, CEO of the SaveLIFE Foundation.
“The awareness generated after the notification of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 has positively influenced the behaviour of road users. We expect this to improve further as enforcement of and compliance with the new law increases. This will also eventually lead to a reduction in road fatalities across India,” he added while summing up the study results.
The Key observation criteria of the study included non-usage of seatbelts in LMVs and HMVs, non-usage of helmets, overloading of trucks etc. The study was conducted on August 29 and on September 11 at the old Mumbai-Pune Highway and the new Mumbai-Pune Expressway in Maharashtra and at Burari, Bhalswa and Mukundpur Chowks of Delhi.
It was observed that in Maharashtra, seatbelt usage amongst bus drivers increased by 26 per cent and amongst truck drivers by 21 per cent, while overloading violations in trucks on MPEW were found to have reduced significantly from 13 per cent to 3.3 per cent.
Delhi showed a significant increase of 75 per cent in seatbelt usage by bus drivers, while among truck drivers it remained at around 27 per cent and 14 per cent in LMV drivers. Usage of helmets by two-wheeler riders in Delhi increased by 9 per cent and a decrease of 10 per cent was seen in overloading on buses in Delhi.
Committed to reducing India’s extremely high number of road crash deaths, SLF combines strong research with interventions across policy advocacy and grassroots action. Its efforts hlped authorities in reducing road crash deaths on the Mumbai Pune Expressway by 30 percent within two years.