After Cyrus Mistry’s Death, Why Lane Discipline is Much Needed to Put Brakes on Road Accidents

The unfortunate demise of Cyrus Mistry and his friend Jehangir Pandole in a fatal road accident on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway on September 4 has left many grief-stricken and condolences are pouring in from all quarters. According to the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Report on Road Accidents in India, 2019, road safety continues to be a major developmental issue, a public health concern and a leading cause of death and injury across the world, killing more than 1.35 million globally in 2018 with 90% of these casualties taking place in the developing countries. India ranks first in the number of road accident deaths across 199 countries and accounts for almost 11% of the accident-related deaths in the world. According to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau, a total of 69,064 traffic accidents were reported in 53 cities in 2019 causing injuries to 59,070 persons and 16,538 deaths. The following measures, if initiated, will reduce the number of accidents to a great extent and bring orderliness on our roads, besides catapulting us into a category of developed nations with law abiding citizens: * Full marking of the lanes as per traffic regulations and placement of traffic sign boards by the contractor undertaking construction/repair of roads.