Role of Road Safety in character & Nation Building | Harman Singh Sidhu | TEDxRayatBahraUniversity

Summary

The speaker addresses the alarming frequency of road crashes in India, comparing the daily death toll to a Boeing plane crash with 400 passengers. They emphasize that these accidents are preventable and discuss the significant economic and social impact, including the burden on healthcare and the loss of young, productive lives. The talk highlights five key areas for road safety improvement: policy, infrastructure, vehicle safety, user behavior, and post-crash response. The speaker shares personal experiences and advocates for change, urging listeners to reflect on their driving habits and the importance of road safety for the nation's development.

Takeaways

• 📰 The script addresses the commonality of road crash news and the general public's desensitization to it.
• ✈️ The speaker differentiates between 'accidents' and 'crashes', emphasizing that crashes are preventable and not random.
• 🚗 The script highlights the staggering daily death toll from road crashes in India, equating it to a Boeing plane full of passengers crashing every day.
• 🏥 It points out the significant economic cost of road crashes, which is equivalent to 3% of India's GDP.
• 👥 The speaker stresses the human impact behind the statistics, noting that each crash victim is part of a family and community.
• 🚦 The script identifies five key areas for improving road safety: policy, safe roads, safer vehicles, safe road user behavior, and post-crash response.
• 🚔 The speaker discusses the role of roadside liquor shops in contributing to road crashes and their pervasive presence along highways.
• 🛑 The script shares the speaker's personal experience and advocacy efforts to remove liquor shops from highways, including legal battles and policy changes.
• 🌐 It calls for collective action and awareness to improve road safety, drawing a parallel between individual behavior on the road and national character.
• 🐜 The speaker concludes with an analogy to ants, emphasizing the importance of discipline and coordination in preventing road crashes.

Q & A

What is the main difference between an 'accident' and a 'crash' as described in the script?

An 'accident' is described as something that happens by chance, whereas a 'crash' is a more intentional term, often used for incidents like plane crashes, where there are scientific reasons behind the event. The script emphasizes that crashes are typically avoidable and have identifiable causes.

How does the speaker compare road crash fatalities to airplane crashes?

The speaker compares the daily road crash fatalities in India to a Boeing plane full of 400 passengers crashing every day, emphasizing the scale and impact of road crashes, which are often overlooked as 'accidents' but are actually avoidable.

What is the approximate number of road crash fatalities per day in India according to the script?

The script suggests that approximately 400 people die every day in road crashes in India.

How does the speaker describe the economic impact of road crashes on India?

The economic impact is described as being around 3% of India's GDP, which is more than the budget allocated for national defense or health, indicating a significant financial burden due to avoidable road crashes.

What is the demographic most affected by road crashes according to the speaker?

The demographic most affected by road crashes is the young and productive age group, specifically between fifteen to forty years old.

What is the speaker's personal experience with road crashes?

The speaker shares a personal experience of being involved in a road crash at the age of 26, which led to significant hospitalization and life-altering injuries.

What are the five key areas for road safety improvement mentioned in the script?

The five key areas for road safety improvement mentioned are having a policy on road safety, safe roads, safer vehicles, safe road user behavior, and post-crash response.

What specific issue is the speaker fighting against in relation to road safety?

The speaker is fighting against the presence of liquor shops along highways, which they believe contribute to road crashes due to the easy availability of alcohol.

What was the outcome of the legal battle mentioned by the speaker regarding liquor shops on highways?

The High Court initially ordered that liquor shops should not be accessible or visible from highways, but state governments appealed to the Supreme Court, which then ordered the removal of liquor shops from highways. However, there is an ongoing struggle as there is an amendment that might allow them to return.

How does the speaker suggest individuals can contribute to improving road safety?

The speaker suggests that individuals can contribute by following five basic safe driving practices: not speeding, not driving under the influence, wearing helmets or seatbelts, not using mobile phones while driving, and ensuring visibility.

Outlines

00:00

🚨 The Neglected Reality of Road Crashes

The speaker begins by highlighting the routine nature of road crash news, which often fails to evoke a sense of urgency or change in public behavior. They emphasize that crashes are not accidents but predictable events with identifiable causes. The speaker uses the analogy of a Boeing plane crash to illustrate the magnitude of daily road crash fatalities in India, comparing it to a plane crash every day. They stress the avoidable nature of these incidents and the significant loss of life, which is often overlooked. The speaker also points out that each statistic represents a person and a family affected, urging the audience to consider the human cost behind the numbers.

05:02

🏥 The Economic and Social Impact of Road Crashes

In this paragraph, the speaker delves into the economic impact of road crashes, noting that the cost associated with these incidents is approximately 3% of India's GDP, which is a staggering figure. They point out that this cost is higher than the national defense or health budget, indicating a significant misallocation of resources. The speaker also discusses the demographic affected, focusing on the young and productive age group, and shares a personal story of being a victim of a road crash at the age of 26. They describe the psychological and physical challenges faced during recovery, including the impact on their mobility and independence. The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of addressing the root causes of road crashes and the need for a collective effort to prevent them.

10:05

🚸 Solutions and the Role of Individual Responsibility

The speaker outlines five key areas for improving road safety: policy, infrastructure, vehicle safety, user behavior, and post-crash response. They focus on the importance of safe road user behavior, listing five specific actions that can significantly reduce the risk of crashes: obeying speed limits, avoiding driving under the influence, wearing helmets or seatbelts, not using mobile phones while driving, and ensuring good visibility. The speaker also addresses the issue of roadside liquor shops, which they argue contribute to impaired driving and crashes. They share their personal experience advocating for the removal of these shops from highways, highlighting the legal battles and the ongoing struggle to enforce safety regulations. The speaker concludes by urging the audience to observe and learn from the coordinated behavior of ants, suggesting that better discipline and cooperation on the roads can lead to a safer and more developed society.

Keywords

💡Accident vs. Crash

The speaker distinguishes between 'accident' and 'crash' by stating that an accident is something that happens by chance, while a crash implies a more deliberate or preventable event. This distinction is crucial in the video's theme as it shifts the perspective from passive acceptance to active prevention of road incidents. The speaker uses this to emphasize that road crashes are often preventable and not just random occurrences.

💡Road Safety

Road safety is a central theme in the video, referring to the measures and practices designed to prevent road crashes and their associated injuries and deaths. The speaker discusses the importance of road safety in the context of India's high rate of road fatalities, suggesting that it is a solvable problem that requires collective action and policy changes.

💡Policy on Road Safety

This term refers to the legal frameworks and guidelines that govern road use and aim to reduce the risk of road crashes. The speaker mentions that having a policy on road safety is one of the five key elements in preventing road crashes. The video underscores the need for robust policies to enforce safer road practices.

💡Safe Roads

Safe roads are those designed and maintained to minimize the risk of crashes. The concept is integral to the video's message, as the speaker points out that safe roads are one of the five essential components in reducing road fatalities. The speaker implies that the current state of roads in India may not always meet these safety standards, contributing to the high crash rates.

💡Safer Vehicles

Safer vehicles are those equipped with safety features that protect occupants during a crash. The term is used in the video to highlight one of the five areas where improvements can significantly reduce road fatalities. The speaker suggests that vehicle safety is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of road safety.

💡Safe Road User Behavior

This concept refers to the actions and decisions of road users that contribute to their safety and the safety of others. The speaker emphasizes the importance of safe road user behavior as one of the five key areas to address in reducing road crashes. Examples from the script include driving within speed limits, avoiding alcohol or drug influence, wearing helmets or seatbelts, not using mobile phones while driving, and ensuring visibility.

💡Post-Crash Response

Post-crash response refers to the actions taken immediately after a crash to minimize further harm and provide medical assistance. The speaker includes this as the fifth element in the list of strategies to deal with road crashes, suggesting that even when the first four preventive measures fail, a prompt and effective response can save lives.

💡Economic Impact

The economic impact of road crashes is discussed in the video as a significant drain on resources, with the speaker stating that the cost associated with road injuries and fatalities is approximately 3% of India's GDP. This keyword highlights the broader societal cost of road crashes, beyond just the human toll.

💡Productive Age Group

The productive age group refers to individuals typically between the ages of 15 to 40, who are most likely to be economically active. The speaker points out that a disproportionate number of road crash victims fall within this age range, emphasizing the loss of potential economic contributions due to road crashes.

💡Liquor Shops

The video discusses the presence of liquor shops along highways as a contributing factor to road crashes, particularly those involving drunk driving. The speaker shares data showing the high density of such shops and their impact on road safety, advocating for their removal from highways as part of the solution to reduce road crashes.

💡Behavioral Change

Behavioral change is the modification of human actions and decisions, which the speaker suggests is necessary to improve road safety. The video uses the analogy of ants' coordinated behavior to contrast with humans' lack of discipline on the road, implying that adopting better road behavior could significantly reduce crashes.

Highlights

The speaker emphasizes the routine nature of reading about road crashes in the newspapers and the general public's desensitization to the issue.

The distinction is made between 'accidents' and 'crashes', with crashes being preventable and requiring investigation for causes.

A startling comparison is made between daily road crash fatalities and the impact if a Boeing plane crashed every day.

The speaker points out that road crashes result in a significant number of deaths and injuries, affecting families and communities.

Economically, road crashes cost India approximately 3% of its GDP, which is more than the health or defense budget.

The speaker shares a personal story of being affected by a road crash at the age of 26, highlighting the human impact.

The importance of hospital resources being occupied by road crash victims is discussed, with 50% of capacity used for such injuries.

The speaker argues that road crashes are preventable and that inaction is not an option, using the metaphor of a boulder on the road.

The psychological impact of road crashes, including the speaker's own experience, is shared to illustrate the long-term effects.

The speaker discusses the prevalence of roadside liquor shops and their correlation with road crashes.

A legal battle to remove liquor shops from highways is described, showing the speaker's active engagement in the issue.

The speaker calls for a change in road user behavior, listing five basic safety measures that can prevent road crashes.

The impact of roadside liquor shops is quantified with data from the government of India, showing their density along highways.

The speaker advocates for continued efforts to remove liquor shops from highways despite legal challenges.

The speaker draws a comparison between human road behavior and the orderly conduct of ants, suggesting humans can learn from their discipline.

A final plea is made for individuals to improve their road behavior for the betterment of society and the country.

Transcripts

all right so you see this slide what do

you think about it this is something

which is a routine something that we

read every day in the newspapers and

what comes to our mind we think all

right the figure changes it's 6:00 today

probably it would be a tomorrow and add

the max what we do we read the location

not okay if I'm from Chandigarh has this

happened in Chandigarh and if it is

chanting heard I just go through the

names of the victims if I know them I

would be affected if I don't know them I

would say all right just another

accident

so accident per se is the wrong word

it's a crash the difference in word

because accident is something which

happens by chance and crash as we use

for the planes if there is a unfortunate

crash we look for these scientific

reasons just giving you an example if I

start moving forward we all know what

would happen I wouldn't fall down and I

would get injured so would we call it an

accident

no because there's a reason behind it

and we all know what is the what that

reason is and the next thing is what can

we do about it

yes that's a problem what can I do about

it

it's morning and we have our own daily

SH and you lined up so all we say is I

can do nothing about it and I'll

probably forget this within seconds

after going to the sports page so

how are these news items piling up if we

talk about India just one country you

see this graphic of a Boeing plane

imagine a Boeing plane full of 400

passengers and a full plane crashing

every day in our country what would

happen this would become a headline of

every newspaper and it would be covered

in nearly every TV show or news all

across the world am i right and it would

be nearly just in India 1 lakh

50,000 dead in one year and if you break

it down that comes to that figure of 400

per day so if I take complete 18 minutes

in 18 minutes there would be nearly 6

people who would be dead somewhere in

our country on our roads and which is

something which is really avoidable now

you see on the screen you see 10 planes

so multiply this figure all over the

world 10 planes crashing so that's the

impact if that that's the astonishing

figure just because of these avoidable

road crashes so these many lives are

being lost and at least you multiply

this by 10 there are serious

consequences for example people with

life altering injuries injuries that

cannot be probably cured

now we were talking about figures and we

are talking what can we do about it so

this is just one of those figures behind

every

he figured that I'm talking about let's

say four hundred people a day behind

every figure there is a face there is a

family which is getting affected and

there's a mother who's upsetness

probably a father a child a brother a

sister a friend so that's the magnitude

of this problem so imagine all this

happening every day every minute and all

the hospitals are nearly full with 50%

of their capacity being used by people

with injuries coming out of road crashes

so that economically it comes to

approximately 3% of our GDP the gross

domestic product our defense budget our

health budget the national defense or

the health budget is lesser than that so

we are wasting more money into this

avoidable thing and unfortunately

further unfortunately most of those

people who are dying they are young then

the most productive age group of fifteen

to forty and this is my picture I was 26

when this happened and now this 24

thought to work I'll be 21 years old

again so that's how things change now

just giving you an example you can see

you on one side there are pebbles and

then there's a big rock on the road so

when we are faced by challenges a small

pebble in the front wheel of my

wheelchair would look to me like this

rock because I would not be able to move

it myself

I'll be stuck so should we stop there

because if any of us is going on a road

and this kind of boulder falls on the

road what are we supposed to do are we

supposed to stop there forever and not

try and do something no that that's it's

never the end of it so that emptiness

that my friend was just talking about

the psychological health and the

psychotic issues I was in a plaster

jacket from head till my chest for more

than four months lying in the bed just

the only thing I could see was the roof

and subsequently nearly two years in the

hospital up and down and that was my

only outing earlier I used to go up hill

and now I was tied to the bed so that

was the difference and this rock

explains it all so this issue took me as

I was telling took me to the hospital

and when I used to go to the emergency

incidentally it became my habit that I

used to look at the board

there's a board written like how many

new patients have come in their age and

the reason so RTA is row traffic injury

and that was the first time that I

realized that the magnitude of the

problem half of that was filled up with

RT ice and it normally doesn't bother us

because probably the person inside is

not known to us but if you think you

won't take more than 30 seconds you

would come to know that some relative

somebody from your family a close friend

must have definitely got affected by a

root cache and like we are all affected

by this problem which is totally

avoidable and as for the International

Studies and the

it is scientifically proven as how we

can deal with this problem there are

five things one is having a policy on

road safety second having safe roads

third having safer vehicles fourth is

safe road user behavior and v is post

crash drama which is if all the first

four fail then the ambulance and the

hospital but to avoid this if we come

and talk about the fourth part witches

through user behavior out of these if

you just take care of five basic things

one the speed at which you drive second

is driving under the influence of any

alcohol or drug third not wearing helmet

or a seatbelt and forth using mobile

while driving and fifth visibility so

just five things you would be quite safe

and out of these just one small thing

you can see these pictures and you can

relate to it

these are roadside liquor shops probably

you might not think the kind of impact

they are again giving you a piece of

data which comes from the government of

india if you're traveling on national

highway one from Panipat in Haryana to

Dillinger in Punjab its 291 kilometers

which has 185 liquor shops it had these

many liquor shops so if you divide it it

becomes nearly one and a half kilometre

one liquor shop if you're driving at the

Indian national speed limit of 90

kilometers an hour every one minute you

come across a liquor shop so that means

if you're driving down this is just one

stretch of the road every one minute

you'll come across a liquor shop so any

kind of enforcement or awareness would

fail with this kind of

availability and why are these people on

the road because that's where these

sailors the maximum and these businesses

are owned by very powerful people who

have all kinds of contacts controls what

and what not so in spite of knowing this

problem this issue was not being

addressed so it's been more than six

years now that I've been working on this

issue of getting these liquor shops

removed from the IPAs so I had not known

the legal procedures as how these things

go so it started by approaching the

Honourable High Court the High Court

ordered that liquor shops should not be

accessible or visible from the highways

and within just five days the state

governments they move the Supreme Court

and then the Honorable Supreme Court

ordered that liquor shops should be

removed from the highways but there is

now an amendment and probably very soon

you would be finding them again back

onto the road but that's not going to be

the end of it we will continue with this

fight and probably would come up with a

revised order so why I am saying this is

that time and again I am saying what can

I do about it

we can all do something about something

just look at this picture you would see

two things one we the humans that's how

we behave on the road and second is the

ants just see the difference they are

not humans they are not being guided by

any third party or police they're all

following the rules whenever you are out

of here just notice them for a minute

they never have a traffic jam they never

have a road crash the reason they

coordinate properly with each other

they follow a discipline and that is

where we are lacking we as humans we

lack here we want our country to be

amongst the most developed countries if

you see you land from the plane you

travel to any other country the first

thing you see is the road and the way

the vehicles are moving so that shows

our character so your character on the

road is a your behavior on the road is a

reflection of your character so if we

are properly moving on the road we won't

be pushing each other at the door and

we'll be working properly so that's the

only difference between our country and

countries like Japan and other countries

which are far ahead so just one little

request please try to follow these ants

we'll all be better human beings and

better countrymen and it will be good

for all of us thanks a lot

[Applause]