Page 8 - Pakistan Link - November 24, 2023

P8 - PAKISTAN LINK - NOVEMBER 24, 2023 OPINION
Fatal Road Crashes in South Asia: Streets for Life (Song) #Roadsafety
n By Dr Mridul Bhasin road safety song #StreetsForLife

n 1999, my 17-year old daughter (Mridul Bhasin is a longtime so-
was killed by an out-of-control From Preventable to Preventing cial activist, writer and translator. She
Ibus. The driver had previous in- holds a PhD in American Literature
fractions of drunk driving. There were from Emory University, Atlanta and is
several bystanders and passers-by, but middle income countries bear a dis- pertise and best practices, Southasian a co-founder and trustee of the Mus-
no one stopped to help. proportionate share in this, with 93% countries can reduce these numbers. kaan Foundation for Road Safety in
It is still difficult to think about this percent of the fatalities taking place in The World Bank Group study on the Jaipur, India. Email: jaipurmuskaan@
profoundly tragic experience. the Southasian region. trade corridors of the eastern subre- gmail.com.)
Who or what should we blame in The role of non-governmental or- gion of Southasia highlight the com- *Southasia: Borrowing from Himal
these instances? The driver who was ganizations in mitigating the issue monalities that represent the factors Southasian, Sapan uses ‘Southasia’ as
directly responsible? Or the govern- is essential, especially in developing which undermine road safety in the one word, “seeking to restore some of
ment, which failed to enforce traffic countries. As governments balance area. These findings, published in the the historical unity of our common
rules and keep dangerous drivers off competing priorities, NGOs have made guide book, note that: living space, without wishing any vio-
the road, or our societal road safety increasing headway in promoting road • Road safety risks in regional trade lence on the existing nation-states.”
norms which promote risky behavior safety measures. corridors reflecting network-wide risks. HYPERLINKS used in the piece
and have no provisions for when acci- The WHO in collaboration with the • Regional crash data management 1. killed by an out-of-control bus -
dents occur? Alliance for NGOs has even published and analysis tools are generally poor https://sapannews.com/2022/06/14/
When we think of the sheer num- a guidebook, Advocating for Emergen- quality. There are a few exceptions in lack-of-effective-road-safety-pro-
ber of human lives lost in road traffic cy Care: A Guide for Non-governmen- certain states of India. grammes-is-a-major-public-health-
accidents in the Southasia* region, we tal organizations (2023). • Regional trade corridor infra- concern/
begin to realize that we need to build After our daughter’s passing, my The World Day of Remembrance for structure is unsafe and functionally 2. Muskaan Foundation for Road
our own road safety infrastructure us- husband and I started the Muskaan Road Traffic Victims is commemo- deficient. Safety - https://www.muskaanforroad-
ing shared policy initiatives and best Foundation for Road Safety, with the rated on the third Sunday of No- • The wide variety of vehicles—in safety.com/
practices. aim of building a culture of safety on vember each year. But for those who terms of both size and speed under- 3. implement meaningful coun-
The region is home to an estimated roads through Awareness, Education, have lost loved ones to road crashes, mines road safety. termeasures - https://sapannews.
1.7 billion people, representing around Training and Advocacy. every day is a reminder of a prevent- • Unsafe road user behaviors, like com/2022/06/14/lack-of-effective-
25 percent of the world’s population While road safety is not a current able tragedy, writes a mother who speeding, the nonuse of seat belts road-safety-programmes-is-a-major-
and also accounts for 25 percent of priority for India’s government or poli- started a road safety foundation af- and safety helmets, unsafe overtaking, public-health-concern/
the world’s road crash fatalities. This, ticians, as part of civil society, we’ve ter a carelessly driven school bus in wrong-way driving, the nonuse of ve- 4. 1.3 million people lose their lives
although it is the world’s least urban- learned to emphasize and fight for it. Jaipur killed her teenage daughter hicle lights, risky road crossing by pe- every year - https://www.who.int/
ized region, with only 10 percent of the Awareness is key to changing public destrians, heavy vehicle overloading, news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-
world’s vehicles. opinion in favor of road safety legisla- by bystanders. This was made possible and driver fatigue. traffic-injuries
Southasia is aspirational in terms tion. For instance, in 2012, the SaveLIFE through exemplary legal advocacy by The humanitarian aim to improve 5. Advocating for Emergency Care:
of economic progress, acquisition of Foundation initiated a Public Interest social entrepreneur Piyush Tiwari who emergency care must precede other A Guide for Non-governmental organi-
transport vehicles and development of Litigation (PIL) in Rajasthan, request- heads the SaveLIFE Foundation. changes that have to be brought to zations - http://who.int/publications/i/
roads. Its automobile market is one of ing the Supreme Court of India to safe- >> EMBED VIDEO: Piyush Tiwari ensure safer roads in any country in item/9789240064317
the fastest growing in the world with guard those who help the injured. In message on road safety the region. Implementing the steps 6. SaveLIFE Foundation - https://
automobile manufacturers eying the 2016, the Supreme Court gave "force of https://youtu.be/Ofpxia6PlZw <<< laid out in the WHO guidebook can savelifefoundation.org/
region to increase sales. Despite this law" to the guidelines issued by the Min- The Supreme Court ruling is now help reduce casualties resulting from 7. "force of law" - https://savelife-
projected growth, the region struggles istry of Road Transport and Highways law for the whole nation and the a lack of infrastructure in emergency foundation.org/gsl-microsite/
to implement meaningful countermea- that protects Good Samaritans. ministry issued a notification to all care. It provides step by step guidance 8. Good Samaritan Law - https://
sures to automobile related injuries The Good Samaritan Law protects states to implement it. Muskaan has about what can be done and how well- morth.nic.in/good-samaritan
and deaths. any “good Samaritan” from police and worked persistently to ensure that meaning organizations can bring about 9. Supreme Court ruling - https://
The WHO estimates that about 1.3 legal procedural hassles and thus en- the ruling gets implemented in our a change in the emergency care system www.bloomberg.org/blog/how-india-
million people lose their lives every courages speedy help to any road acci- state of Rajasthan. in Southasian countries. got-its-good-samaritan-law
year to road traffic crashes. Low and dent victim or any victim of a disaster By collaborating and sharing ex- EMBED VIDEO - Muskaan/Sapan - Sapan News

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