Karnataka State Road Safety Authority launches mass media campaign to deter speeding

Karnataka: MoRTH's 'Road Accident Report 2022' reveals 88% of injuries due to road crashes were caused by speeding. Transport Minister launches campaign to warn people of the dangers of speeding, based on the life of a crash victim. Minister stresses importance of evidence-based interventions to strengthen road safety. Secretary of Transport Dept. highlights need to reduce preventable road crashes.

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According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) ‘Road Accident Report 2022’ released on October 31, 2023, 88% of injuries due to road crashes were attributed to speeding in Karnataka, and close to 92% of lives were lost due to speeding.

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Friday launched a targeted evidence-based mass media campaign to warn people of the dangers of speeding.

According to the Transport Department, the campaign is based on the life of a road crash victim K.N. Purushottama, a native of Tumakuru district, who was hit by a speeding driver while he was on his way to a job interview on a two-wheeler in Bengaluru. The crash cost Purushottam a lifetime of disability and inability to earn, while his wife became the sole breadwinner, switching jobs to earn a square meal a day for the family. The crash impacted their two daughters’ aspirations as well.

“The mass media campaign, paired with enhanced enforcement, aims to emphasise the tragic consequences of speeding and deter this risky behaviour among drivers, which is the biggest road safety risk factor globally as well as in Karnataka,” the department stated in a release.

Mr. Reddy said, “The Karnataka government cares for the precious lives of the people of Karnataka and therefore aims to strengthen road safety through evidence-based interventions. One of our initiatives integrated within our road safety action plan is to improve road user behaviour through strategic communication, paired with enforcement. These campaigns are designed as per global best practices, aimed towards raising knowledge and changing masses’ attitudes and perceptions regarding risk behaviours such as speeding, not wearing helmets, or drink driving.”

N.V. Prasad, Secretary, Transport Department, said, “For the last five years, Karnataka has seen a huge number of deaths and grievous injuries due to largely preventable road crashes. We are working on this holistically with the BIGRS partners from the enforcement, engineering, communication, and data angles.”