With over 3000 deaths and 50,000 injuries each year Kerala has one of the worst crash records in India. The Kerala Road Safety Action Plan (RSAP) is a World Bank funded project attempting to improve the situation. To increase the sustainability of the overall project, the RSAP has proposed a number of on-road safety programs to engage local agencies in the road safety process. These include seat belt and helmet wearing campaigns, and a model road safety program along a section of one of Kerala's most dangerous National Highways. RSAP commissioned research from the local National Transport Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) on a number of issues that would assist with the formulation of the proposed safety programs and their later assessment. The research included development of basic background crash data; surveys of seat belt wearing and attitudes to seatbelts; surveys of helmet wearing and attitudes to helmets, and market testing of advertising concepts for public education programs. The results of the research program were used to guide the development of the road safety programs in the State. It is thought that this is the first time such specific research has been undertaken in Kerala, and is certainly the first time such research information has been gathered to directly determine the nature of road safety programs to be carried out in practice. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. 0612AR242E.
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