The government must set in motion implementation of the road safety policy
Finally, the government has come out with a Goa Road Safety Policy, 2025, which seeks to improve enforcement mechanisms and ensure the safety of all road users by enhancing road engineering and infrastructure for better mobility.
The transport department needs to be appreciated, as it will be the basis on which road accidents will be reduced drastically. On average, over 20 persons are killed in road accidents in a month. In January, 23 people lost their lives in road accidents while 30 were left injured. In March, 20 persons succumbed to road accidents. In 2023, 290 persons lost their lives in road accidents, while in 2024, the state saw 286 fatalities. Goa’s vehicle population has surged to a staggering 13.5 lakh, including 8.69 lakh two-wheelers, and it is growing at an annual rate of 17%.
There may be multiple factors for the road accidents, but over the years, there has been no comprehensive plan or policy formulated to tackle deaths occurring due to road accidents. Only a piecemeal approach had been adopted. Crores of rupees have been collected by way of fines from traffic violators after the authorities intensified enforcement. In this backdrop, the policy is a welcome step.
There are some interesting aspects that have been incorporated in the policy. We have always said that the state requires a policy that will take a holistic look at the transport sector to bring down road accidents and related death rates. So, it’s not just better road engineering but also a comprehensive plan that is needed, and this seems to be evident in the policy. It has taken into consideration even the driving licensing system – an aspect that needed correction long ago. We find vehicles which are not roadworthy still plying, posing danger to the other motorists. This point has also been accounted for in the policy document.
The policy also proposes to set up automated testing stations for assessment of vehicle fitness. This will eliminate manual intervention, ensuring transparency and compliance with national safety standards. The policy states that the government will facilitate the setting up of at least one such station in each district to ensure statewide accessibility and uniform enforcement of vehicle fitness regulations. The policy plans to install a vehicle location tracking device (VLTD) on all transport vehicles, with compliance mandatorily checked at the time of renewal of fitness certificate. The State Road Safety Council (SRSC) will periodically review the progress of these measures to ensure compliance and enforcement, according to the policy document.
If the government is serious about curbing deaths due to road accidents, implementation of the policy has to be fast-tracked, with a timeline for implementation of every aspect listed in the policy. The transport department has said that the policy will be implemented over a period of three years. The key initiatives will be executed in a structured manner to ensure effective enforcement, infrastructure development and stakeholder coordination, it states. The government aims to cut the road accident deaths by 50% by 2030. For this, it plans to make use of data analytics and automation tools like artificial intelligence.
The government has said that a lead agency for road safety will be established as an independent body, and the SRSC will regularly monitor the progress of the policy implementation.
Let’s hope that the Goa Road Safety Policy, 2025, will not remain on paper.
