New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) Road safety experts on Wednesday emphasised the need for building dedicated lanes for the safety of two-wheeler delivery riders in order to reduce accidents.
Addressing the national symposium on ‘Safety, Training & Regulation of Powered Two-Wheeler Delivery Riders’, Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) president Rohit Baluja said two-wheelers constitute about 70 per cent of the vehicular traffic in the country, but while developing road infrastructure and making traffic engineering norms, they are ignored, and no segregation is done for them.
“What needs to be done is to have dedicated driving lanes for them, which are missing, and strict enforcement.
“This will help in rider safety and avoid crashes as they are the most
vulnerable road users along with pedestrians,” Baluja said.
He said the powered two-wheelers have become an increasingly important component of the last-mile delivery ecosystem.
“The rapid expansion of app-based and other delivery services has brought a large number of riders on India’s roads, making rider safety, professional training, regulatory oversight and effective enforcement,” Baluja added.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) – Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) Chief Scientist Chalumuri Ravi Sekhar said India accounts for the highest road fatalities in the world and two-wheelers account for 44 per cent of road accident deaths.
“What is needed is strict enforcement and education apart from incorporating innovative safety features in the vehicles, especially in powered two-wheelers,” he said.
Jubilant Foodworks CEO Sameer Khetarpal said now his focus is more on the safety of his company’s riders and in the coming days he will employ more female delivery riders as they are safer drivers.
International Road Federation (IRF) president emeritus K K Kapila said two-wheelers are the lifeline of major cities in the country despite improvement in public transport.
“The only solution is to find ways and means to make them safe with the use of technology, strict enforcement and education.
“Safe technological systems for all two-wheelers cannot be ignored,” he added. PTI BKS SHM
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