Paving Safe Pathways: Road Safety Education in Indian Schools

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari are pushing for road safety education in Indian schools through NCERT. The initiative aims to integrate audio-visual modules on traffic rules into Class 1-12 curricula, addressing the alarming rate of road accidents and fatalities.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged NCERT to incorporate audio-visual modules on road safety into the curriculum for students from Class 1 to 12. This initiative seeks to raise awareness about traffic rules among 25 crore students in India. It will be introduced as an elective in the upcoming 2025-26 academic year.

Highlighting the severity of the issue, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari shared statistics revealing that India witnesses 5 lakh road accidents annually, resulting in 1.8 lakh deaths, including 10,000 children. Gadkari announced a government initiative to award Rs 25,000 to those aiding accident victims and financial support of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for hospitalizations.

In addition to road safety, Gadkari emphasized the importance of introducing practical safety measures, such as making school infrastructures safer and teaching responsible road behavior from a young age. He advocated for habits like wearing rear seat belts and avoiding mobile phone usage while driving.

(With inputs from agencies.)