Ford Cartesy Survey Reminds Us What Makes Indian Roads Unsafe

The answers reveal a shocking lack of awareness of holistic road safety in the country

• Third edition of Cartesy survey reiterates high levels of ignorance and lack of caution among Indian road users.

• This survey was conducted across six cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad.

• Only 6 percent of respondents scored over half marks in traffic rule awareness.

• 63 percent of respondents showed disregard for child safety by letting kids sit in the front seat.

• 58 percent of commuters admitted to talking on the phone while driving.

Ford India continues its attempts to improve road safety in the country by spreading awareness with the third edition of the Cartesy survey. This one included responses from over 1,500 interviews across six cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. As usual, the questions covered three broad aspects of road safety: compliance with traffic rules, being cautious on the road, and showing compassion to other users of the road. Let’s see what the survey revealed:

Compliance - Severe lack of awareness and an alarming use of smartphones while driving

The survey included 31 questions on traffic rules and only 6 percent of respondents scored more than 50 percent. Only one in ten interviewees acknowledged the correlation between the lack of knowledge about traffic rules and the potential safety risks. On average, Delhi scored the worst on questions about compliance with various safety rules.

Distracted driving emerged as the most common issue with 58 percent of respondents admitting to talking on the phone while driving. Furthermore, 97 percent think that distracted driving due to use of the mobile phone, in general, is among the top causes of road accidents.

Caution - 63 percent think it’s okay to let kids sit in the front seat

Road safety is not just about obeying traffic rules. It also requires a fair amount of caution to avoid potential risks that could put you or others at harm. Sadly, a majority of the interviewees do not mind letting their underage kids sit in the front seat even though it puts them in more danger than the back seat. Worryingly, more than half admitted to driving while sleepy which is also a high-risk driving behaviour. In most instances of exercising caution while driving, four of the six metro cities fared poorly on average. 81 percent of respondents feel that ‘Aggressive Driving’ is one of the main reasons for road accidents.

Compassion - Majority admit they don’t always make way for emergency vehicles

A key aspect of holistic road safety is compassion for others on the road. This includes making way for emergency vehicles, offering assistance to those in need, being patient with others, and being mindful of your surroundings. Sadly, the Cartesy survey reveals that Indian drivers lack genuine compassion. 53 percent confessed they don’t give way to emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks. A shocking 57 percent said they did not mind littering the road. Respondents from Delhi consistently scored the lowest on most questions that assessed compassion while in traffic.

The Cartesy survey takes things a step further by adding the attitudinal and behavioural analysis of drivers and commuters. This allowed them to categorise the respondents into four personality types: Oblivious, Assured, Pretentious and Idealist.

It defines the Idealist as someone who is law abiding and self-aware and does not deviate from rules unless there is an emergency. Meanwhile, an Oblivious road user is impulsive, distracted, and lacks knowledge of traffic rules and guidelines. Simply put, this personality is the furthest from the Idealist.

According to the survey, India needs more Idealists on the road. Cities with the largest proportion of ‘Oblivious’ road users have the lowest Cartesy scores. Nearly 40 percent of all drivers surveyed fall within this category while Idealists only account for 8 percent. In terms of city-wise scores, Kolkata fared the best with 22 percent of respondents falling within the Idealist category. While Delhi had the second lowest Cartesy score, it was Bengaluru that showed the most room for improvement with 62 percent of respondents falling under the Oblivious category.

Note:- Each city was divided into five zones (East, West, North, South and Central) and respondents were interviewed from each zone for fair representation. Also, 78 percent of the respondents were men and 22 percent were women.