Bengal shows the way ~ II

West Bengal’s journey since 2016 shows how a well-coordinated campaign can evolve into institutionalised governance and measurable outcomes. The ‘Safe Drive, Save Life’ initiative, coupled with SRSC reforms, technology adoption, and community engagement, has made road safety a mainstream governance issue. The challenge now is extending these successes to rural districts, where weak enforcement, poor infrastructure, and rising motorization continue to fuel accidents. If West Bengal succeeds, it will also emerge as a national exemplar in saving lives on the road

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With hand-holding support from IIT Kharagpur, West Bengal has recently framed and implemented a scientific speed management guideline. With this, West Bengal has become the first State in the country to have done so. This aligns with WHO's Safe Systems approach and UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021-2030). Kolkata Police launched “Mind the Gap” campaign, promoting safe following distance with the three-second rule. This responds to tailgating accidents and rising road rage. The initiative has had very positive impact on the overall road safety situation in the Kolkata municipal areas.

West Bengal has been taking special initiatives towards rectification of identified blackspots and updating the list further based on recent road accidents as per the relevant protocol framed by different road-owning authorities. All the road-owning departments and agencies have been sensitized towards timely completion of road safety and bridge audits. Necessary intervention, as stemming from accident-site surveys and audits, are taken in time to preempt further accidents at those locations.

Crash barriers are being installed in hilly districts and along water bodies, reducing fall-related fatalities. The same is also being done at all other such identified locations. Sustained traffic calming measures have been taken across the state and on all identified state and national highways to induce better compliance of road discipline, thereby reducing the number of road crashes. Under Setu Bharatam, 22 ROBs/RUBs in West Bengal have been constructed with an aim to eliminate risky railway crossings. This complements and supplements hundreds of already existing ROBs/RUBs in the state. This has had positive implications for the road safety outcomes for the state.