Context: Recently, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways launched a campaign called 'Prevention of Human and Animal Mortality on Highways'.

About Prevention of Human and Animal Mortality on Highways

• It is a national awareness campaign to underline the need for generating awareness and education for the masses at large towards reducing or eliminating mortality on the roads of both human beings and animals.
• It is the UNDP national awareness campaign on ‘Prevention of Human and Animal Mortality on Highways’.
• Under this over 5000 black spots have been identified and their rectification process including permanent and temporary measures are being carried out on an urgent basis.
• Till date, temporary measures on 1739 newly identified Black Spots and permanent measures on 840 newly identified Black Spots have already been taken.

Road Safety Measures:

The Union Minister informed that various Road safety Measures have been highlighted to be focused upon the stretches of National Highways such as:

• Traffic Calming measures; Crash barriers; Repairing; Rehabilitation and reconstruction dilapidated and narrow bridges.
• Rectification of Black Spots; Road Safety Audit; Reduction of fatalities on vulnerable roads; Safety during construction; Highway Patrolling etc.
• Further these include conducting studies for road engineering favourable to animal movement, constructing underpasses, elevated corridors, via-ducts, cut and cover, gaurdwall, fencing, watch tower, solar pumps, ponds for drinking water for animals, etc.
• Apart from that, the new road projects to come up will adopt a green rating system of roads, that has already been approved by the IRC Council for Publication. Further guidelines will also be drafted for green roads that will be specific to India’s bio geography.