The man behind wheel plays an important role in most road crashes. In most cases, crashes occur either due to carelessness or due to a lack of road safety awareness of the road user. Hence, road safety education is as essential as any other basic skill of survival.

Despite global stagnancy and uncertainty owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and consequent lockdown, road accidents have managed to claim 29,415 lives just between March and June, with an additional 51970 casualties. Clearly, road safety continues to be a major developmental and public health concern, acting as a leading cause of death and injuries worldwide. India still ranks first in the number of road accident death across 199 countries despite conducting enormous innumerable road safety campaigns and awareness.

In ancient times, there was no transportation system, with the passage of time human beings tamed animals as a mode of transportation. The invention of the wheel marked the turning point in human civilization. Carriages that could carry three-four passengers, driven by animals, came into usage. In the sixteenth century invention of automatic mechanized vehicles helped people to move faster from one place to another.

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World’s first car was invented in 1770 by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot. After that, there was no turning back, and vehicles of different sizes and shapes began to be developed and introduced. All this brought with them a new thread to human’ life i.e. roadside accidents. Ways and means were introduced for the safety and smoothness of traffic on the road. Several rules were introduced to make the road safest and reduce the number of accidents. Even Manusmriti and Kautilya’s Arthashastra contain road rules and regulations in great detail. The rules have been modified from time to time, keeping in view the local/topical needs and requirements. New regulations have been laid down for different categories of road users.

Modern city living is getting more and more associated with traffic hazards. This can be attributed to complex and complicated road structures as well as the increasing human vehicular populations. Enhanced lifestyle and increase in the number of privately owned vehicles have made travelling on the road the most dangerous task to be undertaken.

Though the number of vehicles increased the length and breadth remained static. The only way left by the authorities to cope up with the problem was to improvisation on the already existing structures. Hence the construction of flyovers and other road accessories to ease traffic moments. All such hi-tech construction works involved engineering skills of a higher order and traversing them requires driving skills of the higher-order which only a few road users have. Though this has eased congestion, the chances of accidents have increased and in maximum cases accidents are occurred because of human folly. Free flow of traffic has resulted in an increase in speed, which in turn has resulted in maximum number of accidents on flyovers because of drivers’ inability or incompetence to manipulate the speed properly. Most of the drivers lack initiative judgment and defensive driving skills, the necessary qualities that drivers must possess. Most drivers are unaware of road realities and ignorant about road signs and markings. They have the least hint of things to come by the way they behave. Some such callous behavior includes improper parking, improper maintenance of vehicles which results in both air and noise pollution causing inconvenience to others, overspending, rash driving, crossing the road in wrong places, and many more. Any such act on the part of one road user may be the cause of chaos and confusion on road. And most of the people, either blind or unconsidered about this and do things according to their whims. In fact, this entire road safety education has become an essential aspect of road management. Making people aware of road situations and giving them precautionary tips would be a great help to redeem the situation. An ideal road safety education program should be able to (i) inculcate a sense of road discipline in the mind of every road user (ii) develop willful respect for road rules (iii) help road users tide over any adverse situation on road (iv) instill in the mind of road users a sense of fellow feeling.

Specific road awareness programs: knowledge of road rules- an understanding of why road rules are broken, and why doing so is dangerous. Enrolling students in road safety patrol so that they get a feel of the road and its rules.

Correct Road Attitude Program: an understanding that orderliness on road has nothing to do with low traffic density (many cities in India have a high density of traffic yet road rules are scrupulously followed) it is important and worthwhile to wait for your turn, on the road. Rules have to be followed in letter and spirit. Road users have to understand the value of “Live & Let Live” rather than “Live and Let Die!”

Time management is vital while taking on the road. Much of the stress is due to having insufficient time to reach the intended destination, which is compounded by confusion on the road.

“Drive with reason this summer season”.