An Industry Oriented Dissertation Project On

“A STUDY ON ROAD SAFETY”

submitted for the partial fulfilment of the requirement of the degree of

MASTER OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES OF

UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI

Submitted by
Bhupendra Ramesh Bhangale

Roll No.10

Specialization:
OPERATIONS

Submitted To

SASMIRA’S INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

AND RESEARCH, SASMIRA MARG, WORLI, MUMBAI.
July 201

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 DECLARATION BY THE CANDIDATE

I hereby certify that the work which is being presented in this Industry Oriented
Dissertation Project “study of A STUDY ON ROAD SAFETY in partial
fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the Degree of Master of
Management Studies, University of Mumbai and submitted to the Sasmira’s
Institute of Management Studies and Research, Worli, Mumbai, is an authentic
record of my own work carried out during a period from January, 2019 till March,
2018 under the guidance of Dr.Niyat Shetty, Assistant Professor

The matter presented in this project report has not been submitted by me for the
award of any other degree of this or any other Institute.

Wherever references have been made to intellectual properties of any individual

/ Institution / Government / Private / Public Bodies / Universities, research paper,
text books, reference books, research monographs, archives of newspapers,
corporate, individuals, business / Government and any other source of
intellectual properties viz., speeches, quotations, conference proceedings,
extracts from the website, working paper, seminal work et al, they have been
clearly indicated, duly acknowledged and included in the Bibliography.

Name of the Student: Bhupendra Bhangale

Signature of the Student:

This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidates is correct to the best of
our knowledge.

Signature of the Guide: ________________

Name of the Guide: Dr.Niyat Shetty

 CERTIFICATE BY THE GUIDE

This is to certify that Mr.Bhupendra Ramesh Bhangale of the two full time
Master’s Degree Programme in Management Studies (MMS), OPERATIONS,
Roll no. 10, Has carried out the carried out the Industry Oriented Dissertation
Project Titled “A STUDY ON ROAD SAFETY” Under my guidance in partial
fulfillment of requirement for the completion of MMS as prescribed by the
University of Mumbai.

Place: Mumbai

Date: 4th April 2020

Signature of the Guide: ________________

Name of the Guide: Dr.Niyat Shetty

 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

More than 1.2 million people die each year on the world’s roads, making road
traffic injuries a leading cause of death globally. Most of these deaths are in low-
and middle-income countries where rapid economic growth has been accompanied
by increased motorization and road traffic injuries. As well as being a public health
problem, road traffic injuries are a development issue: low- and middle income
countries lose approximately 3% of GDP as a result of road traffic crashes.
Although road traffic injuries have been a leading cause of mortality for many
years, most traffic crashes are both predictable and preventable. There is
considerable evidence on interventions that are effective at making roads safer:
countries that have successfully implemented these interventions have seen
corresponding reductions in road traffic deaths. Rolling out these interventions
globally offers huge potential to mitigate future damage and save lives at a global
level. In recognition of the scale of this health and development problem – and the
possibility to impact positively upon it – the United Nations General Assembly
adopted a resolution in 2010 that led to the establishment of the Decade of Action
for Road Safety (2011–2020). The resolution called on Member States to take the
necessary steps to make their roads safer, and for WHO to monitor the situation
through its Global status report on road safety series. This report, the third in the
series, serves as a tool to assess the impact of changes three years into the Decade
of Action and to highlight where more action is needed
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

It is great pleasure for me to acknowledge the kind of help and guidance received
to me during my project work. I was fortunate enough to get support from a large
number of people to whom I shall always remain grateful.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my project guide Dr.NIYAT

SHETTY(Assistant Professor). SIMSR for initiating diligent efforts and expert
guidance in course of my study and completion of the project, without which I will
not be able to complete this project.

I would like to thank the all teachers for helping me during the project report and
providing me more and more valuable information for my project report.

I would thanks to God for their blessing and my Parents also for their valuable
suggestion and support in my project report.

I extend my gratitude to all my colleagues for their encouragement, support,

guidance and Assistance for preparing the thesis.
 Table Of Content
Page No Topic Page No

Candidate’s Declaration
. Certificate By The Guide
Executive Summary
Acknowledgement
1 Introduction 1
Background 2
Need Of The Study 6
Significance Of The Study 7
Scope Of The Study 9
Objectives Of The Study 9
Hypothesis 9
2 Literature Review 10

3 Research Methodology 17

4 Data Analysis 48

5 Summary Conclusion 59

Findings 59

Conclusion 60

Recommendations 61

Bibliography & References

 INTRODUCTION

Roads have been part of human history much before the wheel was
invented. From the dirt paths to stone paved roads to the asphalt and tar roads of
modern times, roads have always played an important role in the growth of
civilization. With the invention of wheel around 7,000 years ago, the stone paved
roads were made to overcome the limitations of dirt paths. The earliest stone paved
roads were built in around 4000 BC in the Indian subcontinent and Mesopotamia.
Roads played important role in development of history of mankind.

In recent times, it is observed that the need to cater to increased

requirements of market demands, swift product supply and increasing per capita
GDP etc. have created a need for faster mode of mobility, thereby, creating an
increasing demand for motorized vehicles. It is imperative that increased
motorization and enhanced mobility have positive effects on individual lives and
national GDP. However, the boon of road transport is turning into a major killer of
the mankind with the evolution of motorized vehicles with increasing speed limits
along with improving roads globally. Without appropriate strategies to reduce road
accidents and deaths, it is becoming a serious worldwide crisis. According to the
World Health Organization (WHO) report on Global Status Report on Road Safety
2015, more than 1.2 million people die each year on the roads, with millions more
sustaining serious injuries and living with long-term adverse health consequences.
Globally, road traffic crashes are a leading cause of death among young people, and
the main cause of death among those aged 15-29 years.

It is also mentioned that road traffic injuries are estimated to be the ninth
leading cause of death across all age groups globally, and are predicted to become
the seventh leading cause of death by 2030. Developing and underdeveloped
countries account for a majority of road accidents, due to disparity in infrastructure
development, policy advancements and vehicle usage.

The United Nations Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC) was established

as a follow up to General Assembly resolution 58/289 if April 2004, recognizing

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the need for the United Nations system to support efforts to address the global road
safety crisis. The UN Road Safety Collaboration has developed a Global Plan for
the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 with input from many partners
through an extensive consultation process through meetings and the internet. The
Plan provides an overall framework for activities, which may take place in the
context of the decade. Activities over the decade should take place at local, national,
regional and global levels, but the focus will primarily be on national and local level
actions. Within the legal constructs of national and local governments, countries
are encouraged implement activities according to five below.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The importance of roads in connecting the vast rural areas of India to form
the national market and economy cannot be overstated. Connectivity provided by
roads is perhaps the single most important determinant of well being and the quality
of life of people living in an urban area. The efficiency of the innumerable
government programmer aimed at rural development, employment generation, and
local industrialization is, to large extent, determined by the connectivity provided
by roads. There is considerable body of evidence that demonstrates the links
between rural road investment, decline in poverty, and improvement in the quality
of life. Road investment contributed directly to the growth of agricultural output,
increased use of fertilizer and commercial bank expansion. Improvements in rural
roads are positively correlated with decline in poverty. The potential value in
improving of rural connectivity especially in the agricultural states is revealed by
the large differences between mind and farm gate prices as compared to the
railways, the road transport system has definite advantages which can be
summarized as follows:

1. Road transport is quicker, more convenient and more flexible. It is

particularly good for short distance travel for movement of goods. Motor

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 vehicles can easily collect passengers and goods from anywhere and take
them to wherever they want to be dropped.

2. Door-to-door collection and delivery are possible in the case of road

transport. But in the case of railways, the lines are fixed and the railways do
not have the flexibility of the roadways. Passengers and goods will have to
be taken to the railway stations.

3. Roads are a necessary complement to railways. India is a country of villages

and it is only roads which can connect villages and railways can connect
towns. The railway stations will have to be properly served by a network of
feeder roads. Only through these roads the railways can receive their
passengers and goods. If railways are essential for the movement of goods
and people for long distances, road transport is essential for such movement
for short distances. Roads and railways are, therefore not competitive but
complementary.

4. Road transport is of particular advantage to the formers. Good roads help

the farmers to move their products, particularly the perishable products; like
vegetable, quickly to the mantis and towns. Only by developing the road
system, the farmer can be assured of a steady market for his products. It is
the road system which brings the villagers into contact with the towns and
the new ideas and the new systems from the towns.

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5. Roads are highly significant for the defense of the country. For the
movement of troops, tanks, armored cars, and field guns etc. roads are
essential. The great importance given to the construction of border roads to
facilitate the movement of troops for the protection of the northern borders.

6. Roads play a very important role in the transportation of goods and

passengers for short and medium distances.

7. It is comparatively easy and cheap to construct and maintain roads.

8. Road transport system establishes easy contact betwe3en farms, fields,

factories and markets and provides door to door service.

9. Roads can negotiate high gradients and sharp turns which railways cannot
do. As such, roads can be constructed in hilly areas also.

10. Roads act as great feeders to railways. Without good and sufficient roads,
railways cannot collect sufficient produce to make their operation possible.

11. Road transport is more flexible than the railway transport. Buses and trucks
may be stopped anywhere and at any time on the road for loading and

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 unloading passengers and goods whereas trains stop only at particular
stations.

12. Perishable commodities like vegetables, fruits and milk are transported
more easily and quickly by roads than by railways.

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NEED OF THE STUDY

Every country has its own road safety rules and regulations for the best interests of
citizens. Road safety rules in India are designed as per the best interests of citizens. As
a citizen, you have certain important roles and responsibilities. For making the safety
efforts successful, you need to follow the rules persistently.

As you a citizen of a huge country like India, you may face problem in rule execution.
India is a country having 29 states, each having their own governing body, villages,
panchayats etc. and hence it is a difficult task to manage them effectively.

Here follows some of the important road safety rules that you should follow while
driving in India:

Road Safety Rules(India) & Why they are Important :

In fact, all these rules are made for Indians to assure safety. A little carelessness or
impatience can lead to serious issues and hence it is better for you to stick onto the
rules without hesitation. Over speeding can be a deadly enemy of your life, so it is
better to avoid it.

As a responsible citizen, you need to be more compassionate for improving road

safety of India. You should not think rules as something useless but it should be
considered as a medium to help each other and thus become sensitive towards
citizens. It is better for you to respect and follow the rules that are put forward by
the Indian Government as it is created for your own safety and welfare. All the road
safety rules and regulations make your driving a better experience.

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SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is because of the accidents that occur everyday on the road, in which all sorts of
vehicles and human beings and even animal are involved. These accidents mean
loss of life and loss of property and more often than not, obstruction to traffic. In
this age of speed and fast moving vehicles and with the congestion on roads, these
accidents have became almost an everyday affair. So unless everybody is educated
on the importance of road safety, the loss and the sorry spectacles cannot be
avoided. Prevention is better than cure. This holds good even in the matter of road
accidents. Accidents are due to many causes and may occur under different
circumstances. The simplest but at the same time dangerous perhaps is people
slipping down on the road caused by an orange or a banana peel. Without meaning
any harm, quite innocently a person may throw away the orange peel or the banana
skin on the road or the side walk. When a person, walking briskly, steps on, it he or
she will slip down ending in fracture of bones and sometimes even more dangerous
than that. So people must take care they do not throw the pealings on the road but
should deposit them in a dust-bin. In some countries the offenders are severely
punished. The second cause of accident is due to careless crossing in busy roads.
While crossing one must look to the right and left for moving vehicles and then
cross. Where there are Zebra crossings on the road for the pedestrians to cross, one
should cross along them. One should keep to the margin of the road while walking
and the vehicles must keep to their lanes in busy streets. In the case of accidents
involving vehicles there are many causes. One is trying to overtake and very
often taking risk. Another is wrong judgment in crossing. Sometimes it may be
not caring for the signals. In crowded streets accidents may take place in a snap
second because one does not care for the signal."Stop, look and go" is the
best precept; it will save vehicles from accidents. But where one takes a foolish
step, the result is the inevitable accident. Jay riding may be another cause. Riding
two or three abreast is always dangerous. Especially one must be aware of this.
Scooter riders become victims of road accidents. But if they just wear the helmet as
required by law they could easily avoid fracture and hence death. Very often the
cause of accidents is the failure of the brake system which means the owner of the

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vehicle does not bother to keep the machine in good condition .By attending to the
vehicle regularly a lot of miseries could be avoided. Road safety is a matter of
education in which the school can play a significant role. Through scouting, Red
Cross and social education classes, children can be taught the importance of
observing the rules of the road. Children must be taught their limbs and lives are
very valuable and they must not take risk, especially when leaving the school. As
soon as the bell goes children rush out and accidents do happen. Under the
circumstances the teachers must feel it their duty to regulate the traffic near the
school.

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SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study will give an opportunity to identify future problems of road safety.

And to help in understanding road safety issues.

OBJECTIVE OF PROJECT

1. To understand the road problems faced by people.

2. To analyze the potholes conditions on road.

3. To analyze the death ratio caused by road accidents .

4. To analyze government role towards road safety.

5. To understand reactions of people towards bad road condition.

HYPOTHESIS

• H10: People do not face road problems.

• H11: People face road problems.

• H20: Government do not play a role towards road safety

• H21: Government Play a role towards road Safety.

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 LITERATURE REVIEW

Table 2.1

TITLE Some Statistical Aspects of Road Safety Research

AUTHOR R. J. Smeed
PUBLISH Journal Article
YEAR November 1948
SOURCE https://www.jstor.org/stable/2984177?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
ACCESS 11/3/2019

Abstract

Each year, more than 1.2 million people die across the globe due to road crashes;
there is a pressing need to understand the underlying cause of the problem. As road
safety issues are complex; it involves multi-sectorial ranging from the public,
stakeholders to the policy makers. Significant differences exist both across and
within countries and therefore policies and interventions need to be adapted to the
local environment. The effectiveness of interventions requires a multi-disciplinary
approach which include enforcement, engineering and psychological and education
approaches. While the resources are limited, road safety interventions must not only
address the sustainability of the outcomes but also the cost-effectiveness to
implement and maintain it. More important, interventions must be evidence-based
and can be evaluated over time before it is translated into policy. Hence, the
research cannot be done in silo for better addressing the complexity of road safety
issues. For sustainability, road safety interventions need to be guided and governed
by policy in the implementation and development.

Research Gap Analysis

This research describes statistical aspects of road safety and the above study is
understand the road problems faced by people.

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Table 2.2

TITLE Good and bad places for roads: effects of varying road and natural
pattern on habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation
AUTHOR Forman, Richard T. T.

PUBLISH Research Paper

YEAR 2005
SOURCE https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8xb0z15w
ACCESS 11/3/2019

Abstarct

Improving ecological conditions around the road network is emerging as a

significant objective of transportation, along with providing safe and efficient
mobility. Reading landscape patterns is a key to success. The prime goal of this
article is to identify ecologically appropriate and inappropriate locations for road
construction, removal, and mitigation in the network. Other goals include
understanding the effect of road location between two large natural patches, and
progress in developing an ecologically optimum network form. Simple spatial
models are used with three independent variables: (1) road size or connection, (2)
road location relative to natural patch or corridor, and (3) size/width of patch or
corridor. Dependent variables are habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation.
Modeling results suggest that in a landscape of dispersed natural patches and
corridors, by far the greatest road effect (ecological impact) results from a highway
that bisects or highway network that subdivides a large natural patch. Overall,
effects are greatest where a road crosses or is alongside large patches and wide
corridors. For both types, the least effect is where a small road is alongside the
margin. Road effects are relatively low around narrow corridors and lowest around
small patches. Model results indicate that the probability of species crossing
between two large natural patches is lowest where a highway slices across near the
midpoint. A highway network has a greater effect on habitat conditions in a natural

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landscape than in an agricultural or suburban landscape. Habitat degradation
appears to have a greater ecological effect than does habitat loss or fragmentation
in the landscape. An ecologically optimum road network contains: a few large
roadless areas; a few busy roads rather than many lightly used roads; and perforated
roads (for species movement) between the large roadless areas. In conclusion, a
simple patch-corridor analysis of a landscape points to clear solutions for locating
road construction, removal, and mitigation to maximize ecological benefits. The
two overarching principles are minimizing roads in and around large natural
patches and maximizing effective habitat connectivity between the large natural
patches.

Research Gap Analysis

This research is about Good and bad places for roads: effects of varying road and
natural pattern on habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation and the above project
is to analyze government role towards road safety.

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Table 2.3

TITLE Road Traffic Noise: A Case Study of Balasore Town, Orissa,

India
AUTHOR Sh. Goswami
PUBLISH IJER
YEAR 2009
SOURCE https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_58.html
ACCESS 11/3/2019

Abstract

Transportation sector is one of the major contributors to noise in the urban areas.
The traffic noise environment in Balasore, a city of Orissa, India in terms of
standard noise indices, community response and community health effects are
worked out in the present study. Noise Pollution is assessed in six different squares
(road sections) of the town. It is inferred that the noise levels are more than
permissible limit in all the six investigated locations of Balasore. A preliminary
survey adopting questionnaire method amongst 212 local inhabitants also carried
out to gather secondary information about the suffering of noise related health
problems.

Research Gap Analysis

This research is about Road Traffic Noise: A Case Study of Balasore Town, Orissa, India
and the above project is to understand reactions of people towards bad road condition.

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Table 2.4

TITLE Road Traffic Accidents in India: Issues and Challenges

AUTHOR Sanjay Kumar Singh

PUBLISH Science Article
YEAR 2017
SOURCE https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/
pii/S2352146517307913
ACCESS 11/3/2019

Abstarct

The main aim of this paper is to analyze the road accidents in India at national,
state, and metropolitan city level. Analysis shows that the distribution of road
accidental deaths and injuries in India varies according to age, gender, month and
time. Age group 30-59 years is the most vulnerable population group, though males
face higher level of fatalities and injuries than their female counterparts. Moreover,
road accidents are relatively higher in extreme weather and during working hours.
Analysis of road accident scenario at state and city level shows that there is a huge
variation in fatality risk across states and cities. Fatality risk in 16 out of 35 states
and union territories is higher than the all India average. Although, burden of road
accidents in India is marginally lower in its metropolitan cities, almost 50% of the
cities face higher fatality risk than their moffusil counterparts. In general, while in
many developed and developing countries including China, road safety situation is
generally improving, India faces a worsening situation. Without increased efforts
and new initiatives, the total number of road traffic deaths in India is likely to cross
the mark of 250,000 by the year 2025. There is thus an urgent need to recognize the
worsening situation in road deaths and injuries and to take appropriate action.

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Research Gap Analysis

This research is about Road Traffic Accidents in India: Issues and Challenges and
the project study is to analyze the potholes conditions on road.

Table 2.5

TITLE Road safety in India: A Public Health Concern

AUTHOR Shree kumaran Nair

PUBLISH Science Article
YEAR June 2015
SOURCE https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279847458
ACCESS 11/3/2019

Abstract

Introduction: Road traffic accident (RTA) is one of the major preventable public
health problems and is on the rise which can be attributed to increase in the number
of vehicles and lifestyle changes and risky attitudes. This paper is intended to search
for available published information which in turn might help the policy makers as
well as practitioners to make use of it. Methods: The information has been gathered
from papers related to RTAs from various databases such as PubMed, Google
scholar, government websites to get an overview in India for the last 15 years.
Result and Conclusion: The burden of RTA was found to be considerably high
globally as well as in India. RTA causes a number of effects which can be:
economical, physical, psychological and social. The burden of RTA is on the rise
which makes it necessary to take a multi-sectoral approach in its prevention and
control

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Research Gap Analysis

This project is about Road safety in India: A Public Health Concern and the project
is to analyze the death ratio caused by road accidents.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A Research methodology is the procedure of collecting, analyzing,

interpreting the data to diagnose the problem & react to the opportunity in such way
where the costs can be minimized & the desired level of accuracy can be achieved
to arrive at a particular conclusion. The methodology used in the study for the
completion of the project. I have taken both into considerations viz, primary and
secondary method.

1) Primary Data Sources: Questionnaires

2) Secondary Data Sources: The data collected from,

Internet

Books and magazines, newspaper

Websites

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Indian Road Network

Indian Road Network

India has a road network of over 5, 472,144 kilometers (3,400,233mi) as on

31 March 2015, the second largest road network in the world. At 1.66 km of roads
per square kilometer of land, the quantitative density of India’s road network is
higher than that of Japan (0.91) and the United States (0.67), and far higher than
that of China (0.46), Brazil (0.18) or Russia (0.08). However, qualitatively India’s
roads are a mix of modern highways and narrow, unpaved roads, and are being
improved. As on 31 March 2015, 61.05% of Indian roads were paved.

Adjusted for its large population, India has less than 3.8 kilometers of roads
per 1000 people, including all its paved and unpaved roads. In terms of quality, all
season, 4 or more lane highways, India has less than 0.07 kilometers of highways
per 1000 people, as of 2010. These are some of the lowest road and highway
densities in the world. For context, United States has 21 kilometers of roads per
1000 people, while France about 15 kilometers per 1000 people – predominantly
paved and high quality in both cases. In terms of all season, 4 or more lane

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highways, developed countries such as United States and France have a highway
density per 1000 people that is over 15 times as India.

India in its past did not allocate enough resources to build or maintain its
road network. This has changed since 1995, with major efforts currently underway
to modernize the country’s road infrastructure.

Vijayawada-Guntur Expressway in Andhra Pradesh

NH76: Part of India’s recently completed 4-lane Golden Quadrilateral

highway network

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 NH75: Part of India’s NS-EW Corridor highway network spanning 7000
kilometers

As of May 2017, India had completed and placed in use over 28,900
kilometers of recently built 4 or 6- lane highways connecting many of its major
manufacturing centers, commercial and cultural. According to the CIA World Fact
book, as of 2015, India had about 96,000 kilometers of national highways and
expressways, plus another 1, 47,800 kilometers of state highways. Major projects
are being implemented under projects – for example, the Yamuna Expressway
between Delhi and Agra was completed ahead of schedule and within budget, while
the KMP Expressway started in 2006 is behind schedule, over budget and
incomplete. According to 2009 estimates by Goldman Sachs, India will need to
invest US $ 1.7 trillion on infrastructure projects before 2020 to meet its economic
needs, a part of which would be in upgrading India’s road network.

The Government of India is attempting to promote foreign investment in

road projects. Foreign participation in Indian road network construction has
attracted has attracted 45 international contractors and 40 design/engineering
consultants, with Malaysia, South Korea, United Kingdom and United States being
the largest players.

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Why are Indian Roads designed so badly?

Potholed roads are a common sight across rural and urban India especially during
and after monsoons. Every year crores and crores of rupees are spent by the
highway agencies in extensive pothole patch repairs. Because of adverse media
coverage these agencies do patch repairs of main streets in urban areas and main
highways in rural areas after the monsoon season is over. By lanes in towns and
cities and some secondary roads in rural areas usually remain neglected for years.
This ritual is repeated year after year despite the fact that due to potholes several
lakhs of people are involved in accidents causing serious injuries and in many cases
fatalities. Also, India is losing thousands of crores every year in road user costs in
terms of loss of wage hours due to increased travel time; excessive usage of fuel
(due to “slow and stop” movement); and increased vehicle wear and tear.

The Indian public has been brainwashed in believing potholes are a natural
phenomenon during rains (as if water in the Indian monsoon has some chemical to
dissolve the bituminous road!). Here in India the roads have to bear the brunt of
only three months of monsoon rain every year.

If roads last for three years in India they would last only nine months in many other
countries where it rains almost throughout the year. That would be the case if our
highway engineers are called upon to build roads there.

If somebody asks the common man in India, “Why roads in India fail prematurely
especially during monsoons?”, the majority response would be: Indian highway
engineers “intentionally” construct road in such a way so that it keeps on failing
prematurely and they keep on getting “fat” budget for maintenance (pothole repair)
and resurfacing year after year.

The water-trapping mixes also happen to be initially cheaper than the dense graded
mixes and therefore are used commonly. (It does not matter if they generally last
for 1-2 years compared to dense graded mixes which may last for 7-8 years. In other

21
words, they are very expensive based on life cycle costs.) Water is enemy number
one of bitumen. That is why, water-trapping mixes fail prematurely especially
during monsoons. This is simple common sense and not rocket science. All across
India, the deadly combination of BM and SDBC is being used brazenly. PMC is
also used extensively.

Most developed countries in the world generally have three dense graded
bituminous mixes in their specifications: one each for base course, binder course
and wearing course. And they have good durable roads despite heavy rainfall
sometimes throughout the year. It is simply amazing as to why Indian highway
engineers need additional seven water-trapping, problematic bituminous mixes for
road construction/resurfacing? You just ask them!

Obviously, some engineers are technically ignorant about the fundamental principle
of highway engineering to keep the water away from bituminous mixes. Others
keep on using these water-trapping bituminous mixes knowing full well about their
impending premature failure resulting in “fat” budgets for pothole
repairs/resurfacing.

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Potholes: How They Effect Mumbai Roads

Roads are deteriorating rapidly and resulting in more and more accidents.
Motorists are being urged to contact the department of transport and claim the
damages to their vehicles caused by the roads and potholes in Mumbai.

This problem is getting worse by the day and until the government does
something about it, motorists much keep claiming for the damages from their
insurance companies – such as Road Cover. Once incidents have been reported,
they will be filed and then forwarded to the head office where a decision will be
made. The department’s legal team will establish the validity of the claims and then
the affected motorists will be notified as to the amount they are going to then
receive.

The national government is aware of the dangerous road conditions across

the country which has resulted in them announcing a R22 billion budget over the
next three years on a country wide pothole repair program. It aims to improve the
road conditions of any road (highways, toll-roads and suburban roads) and repair
any potholes which have been causing damage to motorist’s vehicles. Depending
on how much the roads get used, the rainfall and the weather conditions can all
cause the potholes to get larger and have an impact on the condition of the roads.

The bad roads are also having a major impact on our countries economy.
The Automobile Association (AA) said that if there was proper maintenance of our
roads, then there could be an immediate decrease in about 5% of road deaths,
costing the economy about R40 billion. Mumbai has more accidents occurring
annually. A high death rate during the Easter weekend and festive season leaves a
number of family members and close friends mourning their loved ones every year.

Mumbai motorists cannot help but notice that authorities have put up signs,
warning against potholes, instead of allocating workers to fix them1 Is this how
they think the problem is going to be solved? Over 1000 complaints regarding bad
conditions of roads were reported to the AA within one month. Shocking

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photographs of deep potholes, faded or broken or missing signs have also been
received by the AA.

If a motorist encounters a pothole even while doing the speed limit, their
vehicle will still be damaged and affected and this could result in serious injury,
disability or even death. Life/Accident insurances are becoming more of a necessity
to motorists today.

This is an issue that needs to be resumed by the Indian government and

brought to their urgent attention. If they are going to start the “countrywide pothole
repair programmed” then it needs to be managed and ensured that it is on track at
all times in order for our roads to be safe.

Bad Roads in India

India is said to be the fastest developing countries today only after China.
Although India is doing exceptionally well in fields like education, industrialization
and fashion there are still certain areas where the country is lagging behind. India’s
road network is gigantic and said to be only after the United States of America. But
one of the striking underlying facts is the condition of the roads. Since roads
indirectly contribute to the economic growth of the country it is extremely essential
that the roads are well laid out and strong. India is home to several bad roads be it
the metropolitans, the cities or the cities or the villages. Bad road conditions are
nothing new to India and the problem is being addressed since the last 30 years.

Since India is a developing nation there is a constant demand for good

quality infrastructure, transportation and services. But since India is a huge country
with quite a sizable population this problem still has not been addressed in totality.

In order to improve the conditions of roads efforts began way back in the
1980s. It is during this time that roads were built to link major highways, to expand
the width of existing roads and to construct important bridges.

India has a total of about 2 million kilometers of roads out of which 960,000
kilometers are surfaced roads and about 1 million kilometers of roads in India are

24
the poorly constructed ones. India is also home to Fifty-three National highways
which carry about 40 percent of the total road traffic. Although the figures look
pretty impressive but the underlying fact is that 25 percent of villages in India still
having poor road links. The other problems faced by the Indian roads are; bad riding
quality, poor geometries, and insufficient pavement thickness.

In India the responsibilities for road building and maintenance lies with the
Central and state government. The administration of the national highway system
is vested with the Ministry of State for Surface Transport in India and other state
roads are preserved by the state public works departments. As far as the minor roads
in the country are concerned they are up kept by the various districts, municipalities,
and villages.

25
CHALLENGES

The major challenges faced by the roads in India

1) India has Poor Quality Roads and Highways

Although India is home to over fifty national highways the sad state of
affairs is that most national highways are just two lanes or even lesser. The
design of the highways is a matter of great importance since only properly
designed highways can withstand the pressure created by heavy vehicles.
Apart from being narrow they are also highly congested since quite a large
part of India’s freight is carried on these highways.

2) Rural Areas have Bad Roads

India is home to quite a large rural population. Most of the rural areas in
India do not have access to all weather roads and hence have a tough time
during the monsoons. This problem is more significant in the northern and
north-eastern part of the country. The government in its 11th five year plan
has allotted Rs 100,000 crore for the construction and maintenance of roads
in villages.

3) Urban Areas are Severely Congested

Traffic is one common problem in most of the metropolitans today. Cities

like Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are extremely congested during office
hours. This is mainly because of industrialization and the sudden rise in
vehicle ownership over the last few years. If India wants to be in tandem
with the growing traffic, the government will need to construct around
15,000 km expressways in the next ten years.

Currently India’s annual expenditure on the road sector is around Rs.

20,000-30,000 crore. One of the major reasons behind this huge expenditure
on maintaining roads is due to the problems of overloading and poor
maintenance.

26
 One of the major reasons for the damage of roads in India is overloading. It
is said that about 70 percent of funds meant to be spent for the maintenance
of roads actually goes behind paying laborers. The magnanimity of the
expenditure incurred in order to repair roads is alarming and hence the
government is stressing on building large scale concrete roads instead of the
common bituminous roads. Although building concrete roads is a little
expensive but it is beneficial for the country in the long run. India’s road
network is extensive and accounts to almost 3.3 million km which is only
to the United States of America which has a total road network of 6.3
million km.

ROADS IN INDIA: DESIGNED TO FAIL

Potholed roads are a common sight across rural and urban India especially
during and after monsoons. Every year cores and cores of rupees are spent by the
highway agencies in extensive pothole patch repairs. Because of adverse media
coverage these agencies do patch repairs of main streets in urban areas and main
highways in rural areas after the monsoon season is over. By lanes in towns and
cities and some secondary roads in rural areas usually remain neglected for years.
This ritual is repeated year after year despite the fact that due to potholes several
laths of people are involved in accidents causing serious injuries and in many cases
fatalities. Also, India is losing thousands of cores every year in road user costs in
terms of loss of wage hours due to increased travel time excessive usage of fuel and
increased vehicle wear and tear.

The Indian public has been brainwashed in believing potholes are a natural
phenomenon during rains (as if water in the Indian monsoon has some chemical to
dissolve the bituminous road!). Here in India the roads have to bear the brunt of
only three months of monsoon rain every year. If roads last for three years in India
they would last only nine months in many other countries where it rains almost

27
throughout the year. That would be the case if our highway engineers are called
upon to build roads there.

If somebody asks the common man in India, “Why roads in India fail
prematurely especially during monsoons?” , the majority response would be: Indian
highway engineers “intentionally” construct road in such a way so that it keeps
unfailing prematurely and they keep on getting “fat” budget for maintenance
(pothole repair) and resurfacing year after year.

28
The water-trapping mixes also happen to be initially cheaper than the dense graded
mixes and therefore are used commonly. (It does not matter if they generally last
for 1-2 years compared to dense graded mixes which may last for 7-8 years. In other
words, they are very expensive based on life cycle costs). Water is enemy number
one of bitumen. That is why, water-trapping mixes fail prematurely especially
during monsoons. This is simple common sense and not rocket science. All across
India, the deadly combination of BM and SDBC is being used brazenly. PMC is
also used extensively.

29
Most developed countries in the world generally have three dense graded
bituminous mixes in their specifications: one each for base course, binder course
and wearing course. And they have good durable roads despite heavy rainfall
sometimes throughout the year. It is simply amazing as to why Indian highway
engineers need additional seven water-trapping, problematic bituminous mixes for
road construction/resurfacing? Obviously, some engineers are technically ignorant
about the fundamental principle of highway engineering to keep the water away
from bituminous mixes. Others keep on using these water-trapping bituminous
mixes knowing full well about their impending premature failure resulting in “fat”
budgets for pothole repairs/resurfacing.

So, if Rs 100 crores is sanctioned for a stretch of road in India. Actually only 25
lakhs is used for the road construction.

And then, civic bodies come and dig holes on the same road. After 2 years of hell,
another Rs 100 crores is sanctioned…

30
Key stakeholders of road safety

With the increasing incidence of road accidents, as seen earlier in this paper,
ecosystem of entire society has to come together and take measures at their own
respective levels. Combined efforts from all stakeholders are likely to ensure a safe
road environment for citizens of the country. The stakeholders involved in the road
safety ecosystem can play an imperative role in reducing road accidents and deaths.
The below section provides details of all key stakeholders involved in road safety.

31
• Government Organizations –

Can be segregated into Central and state government organizations. The

government can play a vital role to ensure implementation of road safety
mechanisms by providing adequate leadership and sustainable framework
at grass root level. The role of central and local/regional government is
mentioned below:

❖ Central government; define policies and provide appropriate funding to

the state governments for implementation. They should also monitor the
implementation status on a periodic basis.
❖ State government; with the help of local and regional Authorities, they
should take a lead role I coordinating and implementing road safety
plans in their jurisdiction area. If needed, they can also grant corpus and
extend support in implementing the plans.

• Educational institutes/universities –

Educational institutes and universities sow the seeds of fundamental and

life-long education of each individual. These institutes can foster road
safety culture and habits from an early age in a person’s lifetime.
Schools/universities should from a formal commitment to promote effective
road safety education in schools and universities.

• Media/advertisers –

Media and advertising has emerged as one of the most influential medium
in enhancing community awareness and influencing societal change.
Media/advertisers can play an important role in supporting various road
safety initiatives through their sensible reporting, taking initiatives,
showcasing real cost of road crashes and encourage advertising, which

32
 promotes road safety. The advertisers can encourage safer practices and
products through various signage installed at vital places. Media/advertisers
should responsibly advertise the motorized vehicles and should not link
speed with glamour.

• Police and enforcement agencies –

The police have been given the key responsibility to manage road safety
and encourage safe driving on the roads. They contribute significantly to
implement road safety plans. Using the data of road crashes, police and
enforcement agencies can identify locations, which are prone to traffic
accidents. Proper measures such as integrated traffic management system
can be deployed to safeguard citizens from such locations. Moreover, strict
enforcement policies, educating the citizens and encouragement of road
safety will contribute toward increased safety on roads. Enforcement
agencies should have a single emergency number for all types of
emergencies so that help related to police, fire and ambulance reach the
accident location with single phone call. Moreover, enforcement of
freeways for emergency vehicles will result in reduced death rate.

• Health enters/professionals –

Doctors/health professionals affect the thinking and perception of a person

to a large extent by providing scientific reasons to the situation. Health
centers/professional can take initiatives to educate citizens through various
mediums about the road safety measures. Hospitals should also build
efficient and effective emergency response system to cater to road accident
cases and these emergency response vehicles should be suitably positioned.

33
 • Transport –

The Transport department, including public transport, should focus on safe

driving measures such as bus lane, speed limits etc. for the citizens. Special
attention should be given by these departments to the safety needs of
physically disabled, children, pedestrian, non-motorized vehicles and
bicycle riders by providing separate lanes and proper signage. The transport
department can implement integrated traffic management system at busy
traffic junctions to manage traffic flow.

Road and highways/planners –

These agencies can improve the safety performance of the road network by
ensuring appropriate planning, design, construction and maintenance of the
road and highways. Planning of roads should apply crash reduction and
crash prevention techniques to create a safe road network for the future.
Review and safety audit of existing, rehabilitated and new roads should be
conducted to criminate unnecessary hazardous locations and
misleading/absent markings.

• Insurance agencies –

Insurance agencies should also promote safe road habits and should
campaign about the safety procedures. These agencies may also come out
with innovative schemes to provide incentives to citizens who drive safely
during the premium period of insurance agency.

• Hospitality industry –

Drunken driving is one of the key reasons for road accidents.

Hotels/hospitality industry needs to have strict policies of not allowing any
guests to drive in drunken situation. This industry should adopt responsible
standards of serving alcohol and hold breath test for the driving guests. The

34
 hospitality industry, along with alcohol manufacturing industries, should
advertise responsibly on the side effects of drinking and driving.

• Vehicle manufactures –

Manufacturers of light vehicles and heavy vehicles should provide adequate

security measures in each category of vehicle. High standards of vehicle
safety, mechanical safety and load stability should be maintained by all
vehicle manufacturers. Vehicle manufacturers should undertake responsible
advertising while showcasing speed as strength of their vehicles. Security
features of the vehicle should be highlighted in the advertisements along
with the message to use the vehicle carefully on the roads.

• Driver training and licensing agency –

The driving school should provide theoretical sessions on traffic safe driver
behavior and techniques, road conditions, maintenance procedures and
vehicle safety along with practical driving lessons to the trainees. The
licensing agency should also instill responsible behavior among novice
drivers. A technical test around the basics of safe driving should be
conducted and given increased weight age in the licensing examinations.

• Professional organizations/corporate entities –

They should develop internal safety policies for their staff and should also
promote safe practices in operations of fleet, vehicle production and import
etc. the large fleet operators can encourage their staff to participate in
defensive driving courses, and where feasible, sponsor or provide defensive
driving courses for their own staff at own premises. The details of role of
corporate entities are detailed in the next section. Above all, citizens are the
key stakeholder of the road safety. They should behave responsibly on the
roads and take responsibility of all vehicles drivers on the road.

Among the stakeholders, professional organizations and corporate entities

have a very strong influencing, since the age group, which is most affected

35
 by road accidents fall in the category of 15-29 years. These citizens are
mostly working for the corporate entities and can be trained for road safety
practices by their respective organizations.

Road Developments in India

India has network of over 4,689,842 kilometers (2,914,133 mi) in 2013, the
seconding the world. At 0.66 km of roads per square kilometers of land, the
quantitative density of India’s road network is similar to that of the United States
(0.65) and far higher than that of china (0.16) or Brazil (0.20). However,
qualitatively India’s roads are a mix of modern highways and narrow, unpaved
roads, and are being improved. As of 2011, 54 percent about 2.53 million
kilometers of Indian roads were paved. Adjusted for its large population, India has
less than 3.8 kilometers of roads per 1000 people, including all its paved and
unpaved roads. In terms of quality, all season, or more lane highways, India has
less than 0.07 kilometers of highways per 1000 people, as of 2010. These are some
of the lowest road and highway densities in the world. For context, United States
has 21 kilometers of roads per 1000 people, while France about 15 kilometers per
1000 people predominantly paved and high quality in both cases. Inters of all
season, 4 or more lane highways, developed countries such as United States and
France have a highway density per 1000 people that is over 15 times as India. India
in its past did not allocate enough resources to build or maintain its road network.
This has changed since 1995, with major efforts currently underway to modernize
the country’s road infrastructure.

Road Developments in India NH76: Part of India’s recently completed 4-

lane Golden Quadrilateral highway network NH75: Part of India’s NS-EW
Corridor highway network spanning 7000 kilometers. As of April 2014, India had
completed and placed in use over 22,400 kilometers of recently build 4 or 6-lane
highways connecting many of its major manufacturing centers, commercial and
cultural centers. The rate of new highway construction across India accelerated
after 1999, but has slowed in recent years. Policy delays and regulatory blocks
reduced the rate of highway construction awards to just 500 kilometers of new road

36
projects in 2013. Major projects are being implemented under the National
Highways a government initiative. Private builders and highway operators are also
implementing major projects – for example, the Yamuna Expressway between
Delhi and Agra was completed ahead of schedule and within budget, while the
Expressway started in 2006 is far behind schedule, over budget and incomplete.

TERROR INDIAN ROADS

Despite having the world’s second largest roads network of 3.2 million
kilometers; the condition of Indian roads is appalling. Burdened with the
responsibility of 70% of the country’s freight & cargo and an astonishingly high
85% of the nation’s traffic, the roads are far from safe. They are in urgent need of
attention, quality-control, and safety regulation.

The accidents that take place on an alarmingly high rate on our roads spell
some very scary figures. For instance, Personal Injuries sustained across Indian
roads occur too frequently. The number of fatal road accidents in India is 1.8 lakh
every year and increasing. Further, 350 people die & 7000 people are injured
everyday due to road accidents. That translates to 1,27,750 and 25,55,000 each year
respectively. The ratio of Injured to Killed 1:20. The most disillusioning part, more
than half these fatalities are of people between the ages of 15 & 44 years, making
them the family bread winners!

37
Aside from the unquantifiable emotional loss owing to people-related accidents, the
sorry state of the road network also witnesses a huge amount of monetary losses.
Traffic snarls, a common occurrence across towns & cities in India, causes loss of
productivity. The loss of man hours and productivity runs into thousands of crores
of rupees. The loss in GDP is estimated at Rs 75000 crores, being 1% of the GDP
of India!

The road network conditions have reached a critical breaking point. Cities
are swelling with traffic, inter-city roads are do not see proper up keep and have
increasing accidents, both personal & property, and our dependence on the road
network itself, for lack of other robust & efficient transport systems, despite
ironically having the world’s largest rail-network; are all causes for grave concern.

One never feels safe. Be it a child going to school, an elderly grandparent

taking a walk on the street, a husband driving back into the city after a meeting at
an off-site, or pregnant home-maker returning from her groceries shopping. Much

38
less, if one is moving cities and is on an inter-state highway, with family, bag &
baggage in tow.

We need to delve deeper into the road-conditions and take it upon ourselves
to come up with an urgent & effective set of solutions, and then enforce them.

Condition of Indian Roads

A lot of roads in Mumbai have been in very bad shape and the only thing
worse than them is the repair work undertaken for the same by the BMC moving at
snail’s pace and causing inconvenience to everyone. Often the road repair work
isn’t optimally scheduled causing unending jams and inconvenience to commuters
and road users. In some cases, work that be completed quickly if done at a stretch
is distributed over a number of days. With the BMC planning a mega block for road
repairs on the lines of one’s undertaken by Railways, the matters are only expected
to get worse.

Ideally repair work should be scheduled at non peak hours or during the
time of the day when the vehicular flow is minimum. When limited amount of work
is involved, road repair should be taken up at night time to ensure smooth
completion and least inconvenience to the citizens and road users. If a substantial
amount of work is to be done, it should be done round the clock at a stretch rather
than distributing the same over longer intervals.

We are taking up the issue with the government authorities and the law
enforcement agencies directly and also shall request media to help create awareness
and pressure on the authorities. We look forward to your suggestion and support to
take up better governance.

The Roads of Tomorrow

Our children, the young of the world, the people who will live in this world
tomorrow, and next generation. It is on them that the future of the world will
depend. But before that, the onus is on us to provide them a world that is nurturing
and helps them develop it further.

39
Unfortunately, the looks of it, this itself is in jeopardy. In every sense, be it the
planet & its environment, the world economy, and not in the least, the state of our
roads, its is all in shambles! Is this the state of degradation that we will have our
future generations inherit the planet?

The roads in India alone will present the biggest challenges & threats to progress
for our future generations. In fact progress is a long way off, that ensuing
generations can be guaranteed safety on our roads is in itself a big question mark.
And sadly, the current state of affairs and projections do not bode well at all.

Indian roads today host more than 48 types of transport modes with the vehicle
count exceeding a staggering 10 crore. In a developing economy with a
progressively wealthier middle class, this number is going to inflate manifold in the
coming years. More vehicles, no roads, extreme danger! If not a vehicular accident,
the increased pollution levels from the growing number of vehicles will cause
irreversible damage to the planet & to the next generation! Even the social cost of
accidents on Indian roads that has been currently estimated at 11,000 $ will rise
substantially.

40
 Worst of all, road fatalities will become an ‘epidemic’ by the year 2030,
with 90% of deaths on world’s roads occurring in low and middle-income countries
exactly like India!

The condition of our roads is already at breaking point. Traffic jams &
snarls safety issues, rash driving, flouting laws & lawlessness, and an increasing
load of vehicular traffic with no commensurate progress in infrastructure. It’s a very
critical situation.

We need a Road to Change, and we need it now. Drastic steps have to be

taken immediately to correct the state of our roads; and a healthy, joint
collaboration is needed between the authorities and the civilian population. Co-
operation patience and urgent action are the needs of the hour, if we are to give our
next generation, a road-system that is usable, safe & viable.

Beware of Bad Road

Even the most careful drivers can get into accidents. There are always things
working against drivers, including road hazards. These increase the likelihood of
an accident that can damage your car, injure you and your passengers, and cost you
time and money.

41
These are just a few of the types of bad roads that can lead to serious car accidents:

• Clear Zone Issues – These are fixed objects that create a risk on the road.
Examples include utility poles, fallen trees, uncovered water drains, etc.
• Isolated Ice Patches – These slick, frozen surfaces can make you spin or
slide. When roads don’t properly drain water, it can freeze to create this
hazard.
• Intersection Geometry – This term is a fancy way of talking about a
dangerous intersection. Examples: especially narrow roads, sharp turns that
require mirrors, etc.
• Oil and Chip – This is a temporary fix for roads that need to be resurfaced.
If it’s allowed to sit for too long, it can get slippery and dangerous.
• Positive Guidance – Poorly painted lines or broken, hidden, or missing
signs can cause accidents on difficult roads.
• Shoulder Drop-Off – If the shoulder-space to the right of the road past the
solid white line-drops more than two inches from the road’s surface, it can
cause an accident. A “berm” drop is even steeper.
• “Slippery When Wet” Sign – Roads marked with this sign were tested and
proven to be slick and perhaps unsafe when it rains if moisture does not
drain properly.
• Wheel Ruts – When roads haven’t been resurfaced in a while, grooves
where wheels often go dig into the road and make it uneven and unsafe.
• Work Zones – Work zones can be filled with confusing signs and
unpredictable changes. It can be difficult to keep up with many directions
when trying to drive safely through a work zone.
• Potholes – These pen gaps in the road where asphalt used to be can damage
tires, make cars swerve, and cause collisions. Learn more about notifying
the state or local government about potholes in Pennsylvania.

42
Road Safety tips for Parents, Teachers and Children

1. Safety awareness should begin from childhood, as it is difficult to impart

awareness to a grown up human. If safety awareness is imparted in
childhood, safety will be a habit. So impart Road Safety and General Safety
awareness to your children during childhood itself, preferably before the
age of six.
2. Video and Computer games that simulate racing should be discouraged by
parents as it will develop irreparable racing habit in children.
3. Don’t allow your children to watch Motor sports, especially racing.
4. Cinema, Serials and Advertisements involving Racing, over speed/highly
risky riding etc should be watched by children ONLY with Parental
Guidance. Warn them about its dangers when they are small kids itself.
Parents should take such scenes as an opportunity to guide them properly.
5. Children below a certain age should not be permitted to do cycling in busy
roads and in roads where heavy vehicles are plying.
6. Parents of children residing near busy roads should keep the Gates closed
always.
7. Do not give cycles and two wheelers to your children until they are mentally
mature enough.
8. Ensure that children use Helmet while using Two Wheelers.
9. Back seat riders also should use Helmet.
10. If Helmet is not available do not accept the offer for a lift.
11. Don’t forget to fix the Chinstrap of your Helmet. Otherwise it will not help
during an accident.
12. Ensure that your Helmet is of good quality meeting standard specifications.
Otherwise replace it TODAY.
13. Most important method to prevent road accidents is restriction of speed
restriction of speeds.
14. Always maintain safe distance with the vehicle in front.
15. Don’t let your children to use mobile phones while driving/riding.

43
16. Ask your children to avoid Mobile phone while walking, driving, and riding
on the road.
17. Ask your children to avoid FM Radio, Media Players etc. while walking,
driving and riding on the road.
18. When your family is planning a new car, go for a yellow or other bright
colored one. Sometimes, it may help in averting an accident because of its
high viability. Avoid the black and dark colors as far as possible.
19. Buy only yellow or bright colored cycle for your children.
20. Let the preferred color for two-wheeler also be yellow.
21. Never drink and drive, somebody is waiting for you at home.
22. Never use mobile phones while driving, riding.
23. Avoid long trips during night, as far as possible.
24. Insist that your child uses bright colored dresses, if your child is going for
an early morning walk or cycling or walking on a road during night or if the
lighting is poor due to mist or some other reason.
25. If you are driving at night, get refreshed at regular intervals by having a face
wash or by having a cup of Coffee or Tea. Some of the co-passengers should
ensure that you are awake.
26. There is a practice of keeping the traffic signals in standby mode during
nights and on holidays. It is highly risky, hence be extra cautious at
junctions with signal system in standby mode.
27. Advertisement boards and other items may obstruct visibility at junctions,
curvatures and other parts of the roads. Hence be cautious about them.
28. Old age drivers should check-up their eyes periodically.
29. A small pool of water or a hanging branch of tree or rope or cable on
roadside can cause accident, as such obstruction will make the pedestrians
and drivers to take sudden lateral movement. Drivers and Pedestrians
should not make sudden lateral movement.
30. Restrict speed at known accident prone areas.
31. Check up your vehicle regularly and especially before long journey.
32.

44
The Disadvantages of Travelling by Bus

There are many disadvantages of travelling by bus and that is why most
people use their cars. One of them is that these people, using their cars, don’t want
to crowed together with many other people. Some of them feel even terrified of the
thought that someone is going to touch them with their dirty hands, rob them, threat
them and injure them on the bus. This was a joke, but seriously, why do most of the
people prefer driving their cars in these terrible traffic jams and deal daily with
crazy mad drivers? To me this is a stress much bigger than crowding with other
people. But bus travelling has a lot of other disadvantages for sure. Here I will tell
you the most common ones.

The first one is the time. You can waste a lot of time waiting for the bus that
has been stuck in the traffic jam for example, or you have just missed it for a minute
and now you have to wait for twenty more minutes. If the weather is bad, the
nightmare is even worse. You are late for work or school or lectures, or you are late
for your exam, but you are waiting in the rain with the hopes that the next one is
yours. You can even be on time at the bus stop, but imagine if the bus stop is too
crowded too and there is not enough room for everyone. Or maybe there is some
room for you… let’s see…, yes! There is! Now you understand what is to be
crowded, smashed and suffocated on the bus. Although your shoes are wet because
the bus driver has stopped in front of a huge puddle and there was nothing to do but
put your feet in there, your coat for the meeting is rumpled up and you have to get
off the bus every time it stops to make room for other passengers to get off. You
should also be aware, because these close contacts could also lead to something
more dramatic – you can get robbed. This is probably the worst thing (of course,
after you got killed) that can happen to you in the bus. Just Kidding, but don’t be
little the fact these places are heaven for the robbers. You won’t feel anything on
the bus, but you will feel something is missing after you get off of it. So one rule –
never put your money or your cell phones in your pockets! Keep them in a bag with
a safety zipper and keep an eye on it.

45
 Another disadvantage of buses is that you can easily get flu or another
“modern” virus that spreads itself by droplets such as sneeze, cough etc. So, always
wear with you a wet antibacterial handkerchief or other antibacterial gel.

Another thing that can happen to you on the bus is that you can get also
smashed with the doors (which is a very common accident though), because the
drivers are not always paying attention at the passengers. There are probably a lot
more disadvantages but if it is not “your day”, your car won’t help you deal with
the coming problems. It may also create some more.

MUMBAI ROAD CONDITION

46
47
 DATA ANALYSIS

Percentage of response with 30 samples

Sr.
Ask Questions A B C D
No.
What are the causes of bad roads in
1 2 1 23 4
your community?

2 How often are the roads fixed? 20 6 4 -

What types of vehicle mostly use on

3 6 18 3 3
the road?
Do bad condition of road affects the
4 26 4 - -
driving on the road?

5 Do potholes consume more petrol? 27 3 - -

Do you think road accidents are the

6 28 2 - -
cause of death in India?
Do you think Indian laws are
7 25 5 - -
ineffective for road accidents?
Do you blame government for bad
8 24 6 - -
road conditions?
How do you feel about the current
9 20 4 6 -
road conditions?
How would you rate the road
10 2 4 4 20
conditions in your community?

48
Questionnaire

1. What are the causes of bad roads in your community??

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
rainfall poor drainage poor material flooding
used to build

Interpretation:

The above pie chart shows that the cause (s) of bad roads in your community?

• 2 out of 30 (i.e. 2%) respondents are answering “Rainfall”.

• 1 out of 30 (i.e. 1%) respondents are answering “Poor Drainage”.
• 23 out of 30 (i.e. 23%) respondents are answering “Poor material used to
build”.
• 4 out of 30 (i.e. 4%) respondents are answering “Flooding”.

49
 2. How often are the roads fixed?

20%
18%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
1-3 months 3-6 months 1 year

Interpretation:

The above pie chart shows that are the roads fixed.

• 20 out of 30 (i.e. 20%) respondents are answering that the roads are fixed
between “1-3 months”.
• 6 out of 30 (i.e. 6%) respondents are answering that the roads are fixed
between “3-6 months”.
• 4 out of 30 (i.e. 4%) respondents are answering that the roads are fixed
between “1 year”.

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3. What types of vehicle mostly use on the road?

18%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
trucks private vehicles public motorcycles
passenger

Interpretation:

The above pie chart shows that types of vehicles mostly use on the road?
• 6 out of 30 (i.e. 6%) respondents are answering trucks mostly use on
the road.
• 18 out of 30 (i.e. 18%) respondents are answering the private
vehicles mostly use on the road.
• 3 out of 30 (i.e. 3%) respondents are answering the public passenger
mostly use on the road.
• 3 out of 30 (i.e. 3%) respondents are answering the motor cycles
mostly use on the road.

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4. Do bad condition of road affects the driving on the road?

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
yes No

Interpretation:

The above pie chart shows that bad condition of road of affects the driving on
the road?

• 26 out of 30 (i.e. 26%) respondents are answering “Yes”.

• 4 out of 30 (i.e. 4%) respondents are answering “No”.

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 5. Do potholes consume more petrol ?

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Yes No

Interpretation:

The above pie chart shows that potholes more petrol is consume?

• 27 out of 30 (i.e. 27%) respondents are answering “Yes”.

• 3 out of 30 (i.e. 3%) respondents are answering “No”.

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 6. Do you think road accidents are the cause of death in India?

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Yes No

Interpretation:

The above pie chart shows that how many people’s are think that death due to road
accidents are increasing in India?

• 28 out of 30 (i.e. 28%) respondents think that road accidents are the cause
of death in India
• 2 out of 30 (i.e. 2%) respondents think that road accidents are not the cause
of death in India

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7. Do you think Indian laws are ineffective for road accidents?

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Yes No

Interpretation:

The above pie chart shows that how many people think that Indian low on road
accidents are ineffective?

• 25 out of 30 (i.e. 25%) respondents think that Indian laws are ineffective
for road accidents
• 5 out of 30 (i.e. 5%) respondents think that Indian laws are not
ineffective for road accidents

55
8. Do you blame government for bad road conditions?

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Yes No

Interpretation:

The above pie chart shows that how many people think that blame government
for bad road conditions?

• 24 out of 30 (i.e. 24%) respondents are think blame government for bad
road conditions.
• 6 out of 30 (i.e. 6%) respondents are think not blame government for
bad road conditions.

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9. How do you feel about the current road conditions?

20%
18%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
Angry Do not care Satisfied

Interpretation:

The above pie chart shows that how many people think that feel about the
current road conditions?

• 20 out of 30 (i.e. 20%) respondents are not satisfied about the current
road conditions.
• 4 out of 30 (i.e. 4%) respondents are do not care about the current road
conditions.
• 6 out of 30 (i.e. 6%) respondents are satisfied about the current road
conditions.
•

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10. How would you rate the road conditions in your community?

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Excellent Good Poor Extremely poor

Interpretation:

The above pie chart shows that how many people think the rate of road
conditions in their community?

• 2 out of 30 (i.e. 2%) respondents are giving positive respond over the
condition of the road.
• 4 out of 30 (i.e. 4%) respondents are just satisfied about the condition
of the road.
• 4 out of 30 (i.e. 4%) respondents are not satisfied by the condition of the
roads.
• 20 out of 30 (i.e. 20%) respondents are having complaints about the
condition of the roads.

58
 FINDINGS

• When I ask this question to the people who are doing daily travelling and
facing the problem of bad roads most of people said that the material of
roads used is of very chip quality.
• Road are fixed between 1 – 3 months, after that it starts to break.
• So many types of vehicles running on Mumbai road daily. But most of
vehicles are private because it’s a tourist area where tourist visited daily.
• Bad condition of roads affects on the driving of drivers.
• Potholes are big hurdle in driving, vehicles are slow down during the hurdle
so the petrol consumption increases.
• Of course the potholes are responsible for the road accidents most of the
time.
• Government is responsible for the bad road because the contractors they
hire are not good.
• Current road condition is not good at all. Governments have to improve the
quality of road.

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 CONCLUSION

At last we can conclude that bad road conditions are due to people who use
bad quality of product while making road and most of it found that contractors are
being bribed while making road.

Lots of road problems, damaged roads and bad road conditions are due to
their neglect of people in our area but if people come together they will easily fight
this problem by creating awareness among people and reducing the amount of
heavy traffic or on general roads and provide a different direction for heavy vehicle
because of heavy vehicle road get damaged easily and heavy vehicle blocked the
way which is now which create harm during the high traffic area.

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 RECOMMENDATIONS

I like to suggest certain methods like people should not neglect of the problem
which they are facing.

➢ People should complaint authorities if they are facing certain problem of

due to bad road.

➢ People should use car pooling or use public transport to reduce traffic in our
area.

➢ Government trail should not give contract to blacklisted a contractor as they

use cheap quality of product while making road.

➢ Social media also can be used to create awareness and show people the
reality of potholes.

➢ Heavy vehicles should be set at night time so that traffic jam should not take
place.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

www.localconditions.com

www.badroadsinindiacom

www.facts.about-india.com/indian-road.php

www.thehindu.com

Article on times in India

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