The Society for Automotive Fitness & Environment (SAFE), a SIAM initiative in association with Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Transport Department, Government of Karnataka & All India Federation of Motor Vehicle Department organised its annual convention in Bangalore.
The inaugural session was addressed Vikram S Kiroloskar, President, SIAM along with PN Sreenivasachary, Principal Secretary, Transport, Government of Karnataka, Amaranarayana K, Transport Commissioner, Government of Karnataka; SV Suderson, President, SAFE, and Dr Venkat Srinivas, Vice President, SAFE.
The convention aimed at addressing rising concerns of road fatalities, with traffic collisions on Indian roads numbered amongst the highest in the world. Speaking at the convention, Mr Suderson said, “The issue of road safety is very crucial in India. Loss of life is not only huge in terms of numbers, but majority of people affected are from the younger age brackets. We have a long way to go before our roads become safe for all users.”
In this context, it is worthwhile to note that according to a National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, more than 1,35,000 traffic collision-related deaths occur in India every year. The International Road Federation (IRF) in 2012 estimated that traffic collision results in an annual monetary loss of $20 billion (short scale) in India. This figure includes expenses associated with the accident victim, property damage and administration expenses.
Vikram Kirloskar expressed his happiness about the efforts put in by SAFE over the last one year. He said, “SAFE has worked along with government authorities and regulators to raise awareness through an innovative and collaborative approach and have conducted several activities to take the mission forward.”
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