Road safety topmost priority of government, says Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that road safety is the topmost priority of the Indian government. While speaking at an event organized by the industry body CII, the minister reiterated that the Indian government aims to reduce road accident-related deaths by 50 per cent by 2030, PTI reported.

Further, Gadkari added that the change in social behaviour is very important along with focusing on strengthening ‘4E’ to enhance road safety across India. These four 'E's are - Engineering (road & vehicle engineering), Enforcement, Education, and Emergency medical service. He also emphasized on the cooperation of all stakeholders in enhancing road safety.

India has been among the top countries with an alarmingly high number of road deaths recorded every year. According to a report in 2022 alone, there were 4.6 lakh road accidents across India, which caused 1.68 lakh deaths and four lakh serious injuries. Mentioning this report, Gadkari stated that every hour there are 53 road accidents and 19 deaths across India. He further said that the number of road accidents has increased by 12 per cent and resultant deaths grew by 10 per cent in 2022, resulting in a loss of 3.14 per cent to the GDP. He also reportedly claimed that 60 per cent of the deaths related to road accidents were in the age group of 18-35 years.

The minister reportedly underscored the need for improving the quality of detailed project reports on part of the industry particularly focusing on the quality of the roads and safety perspective. “Engineers have to take major responsibility in planning roads better, from the point of view of safety," Gadkari said, adding that their detailed planning reports should have a road safety perspective deeply ingrained. He also reportedly stated that the industry should also analyse blackspots where maximum accidents are occurring and approach the concerned agencies-NHAI, state governments, municipalities and others and even publish those details in newspapers.