India's Road Safety Crisis: Gadkari's Bold Measures

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari revealed that more lives are lost in Indian road accidents than in wars, militancy, and Naxalism. Addressing the FICCI Road Safety Awards, Gadkari emphasized the role of poor road design and engineering in these fatalities. He announced various measures to improve safety standards.

More people have lost their lives in India in road accidents than in wars, militancy, and Naxalism, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari disclosed on Wednesday.

Speaking at the sixth edition of the FICCI Road Safety Awards and Conclave 2024, Gadkari highlighted the alarming rise in road accident blackspots due to flawed detailed project reports (DPRs) for road projects.

'More lives are claimed by road crashes than by wars, militancy, and Naxalism,' Gadkari stated, noting that India sees 5 lakh accidents and 1.5 lakh fatalities annually, with 3 lakh people injured.

'This represents a 3 per cent loss to the national GDP. Contrary to popular belief, often it's the road engineering at fault rather than the driver,' Gadkari added.

The minister called for a comprehensive safety audit of all highways and stressed the importance of lane discipline in reducing accidents.

Gadkari announced new regulations for ambulances, requiring advanced machinery like cutters for the swift rescue of accident victims, and revealed that IITs have been consulted on the necessary equipment.

Starting in 2025, only buses that meet international safety standards will be allowed on the roads. This move aims to end the current practice of using rudimentary methods in bus manufacturing and improve public transportation safety significantly.

The minister also proposed collaborations between industries and engineering colleges to sponsor road safety audits.

(With inputs from agencies.)