The role of social advocacy in reducing road traffic accidents in India.

Road traffic accidents (RTA) account for a significant proportion of mortality and morbidity worldwide, especially the developing countries. 'Hidden pandemics' such as deaths due to RTA often receive minimal attention globally. If not addressed adequately, the forecast looks bleak, especially for the developing countries in the coming decades. Healthcare professionals have an important role in advocating measures to reduce injuries following RTA and, along with like-minded social individuals, can act as a powerful lobby to implement change. Following a 'Public Interest Litigation or PIL' by the Indian Orthopaedic Association (IOA) in 2012 - which challenged the Government to accept responsibility for this glaring problem and form an apex body to enforce road safety - the Supreme Court of India identified the existing road-safety laws to be inadequate. It created an 'Empowered Committee' which oversaw various new road safety measures implemented by respective state governments. A public movement called 'UYIR' (meaning 'life' in Tamil) was launched at Coimbatore to reduce RTA. Early results following the implementation of this program showed promising results with a reduction in major accidents. It emphasized that well-planned programs involving the general public could be the way forward in reducing accidents across the country. Hence, Social Advocacy is crucial when an individual or group supports and influences political, economic, and social decisions. Such advocacy aims to gain support in an adverse environment to create the necessary change for the better.