Road Safety Stakeholders Convene to Address Risk Factors in Pune
In early October, the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU) organized a roundtable discussion on behavioral risk factors for road crashes and injuries in Pune District, India. The event brought together key stakeholders from the government, police, research institutions, and Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) partners working to improve road safety across Pune.
The roundtable was held at the Police Commissioner Office in Pune and was also supported by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B), Vital Strategies, and the BIGRS embedded team of Pune District.
Presentations highlighted findings from recent BIGRS-supported observational studies on speeding, helmet, seatbelt, and child restraint use in Pune City, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Pune's rural region. Key findings highlighted that 29% of vehicles exceeded speed limits in the city, while only 19% of motorcyclists wore helmets correctly. Seatbelt use was higher at 67% but remained low among passengers. The data provided critical insights to understand key risk factors and shape interventions accordingly. For instance, results show speeding is most common among motorcycles and sedans in urban areas. Targeted enforcement on those vehicle types could help reduce speed-related crashes.
Following the presentations, participants engaged in discussions on challenges around data collection, opportunities to coordinate with traffic police, and suggestions for interventions to improve helmet use and seatbelt compliance. Overall, the roundtable enabled stakeholders to align on priority road safety issues in Pune District based on data-driven evidence. Partners explored collaborative strategies to curb risk factors through enforcement, advocacy, and education campaigns in the coming months.
The sharing of local research and collective discussions will support evidence-based policies and interventions to improve road safety across Pune. As the next steps, findings will inform the development of city-wide strategies, with additional studies planned to track trends over time.