India's Road Safety Crisis: Urgent Call for Action

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju highlights India's road safety challenges, pointing to the country's highest global accident rates. With significant fatalities among youth and economic losses, he urges adherence to traffic rules and innovative collaborations, targeting a 50% reduction in accidents by 2030. Education and better infrastructure planning remain key.

On Sunday, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju stressed the vital importance of road safety as a national concern. Speaking to ANI, Rijiju highlighted the pressing need for compliance with traffic regulations to curb accidents, as India holds the unenviable record for the highest number of road accidents worldwide.

'Road safety is crucial for everyone,' Rijiju remarked, pointing to the plethora of rules designed to prevent accidents, yet underscoring India's troubling statistics. He participated in the Parliamentarians Car Rally 2025 at the Constitution Club of India, alongside fellow ministers and parliament members.

Previously, Union Minister Gadkari revealed grim statistics, noting 480,000 road accidents with 180,000 resulting in deaths and 400,000 serious injuries last year. Vulnerable groups include two-wheeler riders and pedestrians, with the majority of fatalities among those aged 18 to 45 years.

Gadkari attributed part of the blame for road mishaps to poor planning by engineers and substandard detailed project reports, marking a 3% GDP economic loss due to accidents. The government aims to halve accident rates by 2030, requiring a concerted effort between public and private sectors.

Rijiju called for innovative partnerships to address this urgent issue of road safety, emphasizing that education and comprehensive training programs are pivotal, not only for constructing more secure infrastructure but for fostering a culture of safety on the roads.

(With inputs from agencies.)