As per the high level committee appointed by the government there is a proposal to hike the Road cess on Petrol and Diesel for road safety. out of which 1% is to be earmarked for developing a Road safety fund for the National highway Authority for monitoring and taking necessary steps to curb the increasing rate of highway accidents which were 90,000 lives per year . India is Second highest in the road accidents in the world.

The proposal appears to be quite in order. However there should be an accountability for the cess collected ( which will be nearly to the tune of Rs.12,000 crores) and the percentage of it that is utilised for this purpose.

However, this does not appear to be the only solution to check the road accidents. The recent accidents at Walkeshwar,Mumbai, Alibaug, on Mumbai - Goa Highway and spat of other such accidents clearly point out that majority of these accidents are due to rash and drunken driving mostly involving teenagers. The Indian laws are very much laxed as compared to those in western countries towards such driving. In India the maximum punishment is imprisonments for few months or the fine of few thousand of rupees. Unless some stringent measures like on the spot cancellation of Driving licenses of the persons, found driving rash or after drinks, are taken there will never be a serious impact on these offenders.

In some of the western countries the punishment for such offences is on the spot cancellation or the suspension of driving licences for the long specified period.

The government should also think in these directions because the life lost is a loss forever.