Killer Shortcuts: Wrong-Side Driving Second Biggest Killer On Indian Roads, Urgent Course Correction Needed To Save Lives

The tragic death of six persons on the Delhi-Meerut expressway (DME) on 12 July has once again brought back the issue of wrong-way driving for a public debate.

Wrong-way driving, also known as contraflow driving, is the act of motorists travelling on the wrong side of the road. It is particularly dangerous on a highway — the higher speeds typical of such roads mean that wrong-way driving invariably leads to a head-on collision, the one seen on the DME Tuesday (11 July) morning.

By all accounts, instances of driving on the wrong side are common in Indian cities which explains why it is the second biggest cause of road deaths in India.

Second Leading Cause

An analysis of the data from the Ministry of Road transport and Highways (MoRTH) shows that 'driving on wrong side' is the second leading cause of accidents and deaths accounting for around 5 per cent of cases and fatalities.

In 2020, there were 20,228 road accidents caused by vehicles coming from the wrong side, resulting in 7,332 deaths and 19,481 injuries.

Unfortunately, in 2021, the number of accidents increased further, with 21,491 road accidents leading to 8,122 deaths and 20,351 injuries.

What is worrying is that the contraway driving has a well-established pattern for the fatalities and injuries (see the image below).

Further a high share of fatalities attributed to lane indiscipline have been reported from national highways, including the expressways.

While in 2020, 44 per cent of total fatalities, due to wrong side driving, were recorded on national highways, the corresponding figure for the year 2021 stands at 35 per cent.

Why People Drive on Wrong Side

Officials and experts say driving on the wrong side occurs due to a combination of reasons — lack of civic sense, refusal to adhere to traffic rules, or weak enforcement efforts.

A major reason cited by the violators is the access to petrol pumps and other buildings of public utilities on the opposite side of road, which forces people to drive on the wrong side.

To put this in perspective, the bus driver involved in the 12 July crash was travelling on the wrong side after re-fuelling with CNG in Delhi near Ghazipur.

Certain individuals continue to engage in this perilous driving behavior due to their unwavering belief that they can evade any consequences. The failure of police to come down heavily on motorists who engage in wrong-way driving has made this a very common violation.

In fact, we can easily spot vehicles boldly traversing on the incorrect side of the road, even in close proximity to the police station, without any retribution being imposed upon the defiant drivers.

Contrast this brazen impudence to the West, where occurrences of such traffic violations are exceedingly infrequent, particularly because motorists can be sure of swift and firm action by the police if they engage in it.

Authorities, on their part, attribute their failure in dealing with this menace to the increase in everyday traffic, coupled with the lack of personnel or advanced infrastructure.

Unfortunately, motorists driving on the wrong side of the road have begun to convince themselves that their actions are correct, while perceiving others as in the wrong.

Faulty Road Design

Road-safety experts believe that wrong-side driving is not always a behavioural issue but is also a road design problem.

“An example of this in Gurugram is the Hero Honda Chowk or the IMT Chowk. There is no U-turn for 8-10 km which prompts people to drive on the wrong side. These include cyclists as well, as it is impossible for them to pedal 8-10 km for a U-turn. This also unnecessarily causes traffic jams at the designated U-turn, especially near tolls,” said road safety expert Sarika Panda Bhatt, co-founder, Raahgiri Foundation in an interview to Hindustan Times.

Experts also blame poor signage for this menace, with people sometimes driving on the wrong side as they are confused — which could be managed by placing signage and ensuring a “geometric road design” (where roads follow the direction the commuter is headed).

What Lies Ahead

The deadly menace which is in the spotlight requires correction at many places including correction of driver's behaviour.

To start with, there needs to be strict enforcement of traffic rules over a sustained period by the traffic police. This includes identifying those driving on the wrong side of the carriageway and taking necessary action including immediate suspension of the license of the erring driver.

Experts have also demanded that those driving against the flow of traffic should be booked under “culpable homicide not amounting to murder” as they are well aware of the consequences in case of a crash.

Currently, the violation can lead to the termination of license. as well as, the registration of an FIR against the offender for rash driving, under section 279 of the Indian Penal Code.