Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced on Wednesday that road accidents in India have claimed more lives than wars, militancy, and Naxalism combined. Speaking at the sixth edition of the FICCI Road Safety Awards and Conclave 2024, Gadkari highlighted the severity of the issue, revealing that India experiences approximately 5 lakh accidents and 1.5 lakh deaths annually, with an additional 3 lakh individuals injured each year. Also ReadMoRTH updates bidding guidelines: Single bid considered valid for national highway work Call for Comprehensive Safety Audits and Better Road Engineering Gadkari attributed the increase in blackspots on roads to poor detailed project reports (DPRs) and called for a comprehensive safety audit of all highways. He stressed that often, road engineering flaws are to blame rather than just driver error. "The current situation causes a 3% loss to the country’s GDP. It is not just the drivers who are at fault; inadequate road engineering contributes significantly to accidents," Gadkari stated. In response to the high rate of road accidents, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is preparing new codes for ambulances and their drivers. These codes will focus on training paramedics to use advanced rescue equipment, such as cutters, which are currently lacking in many ambulances and delay rescue operations by up to three hours. Gadkari mentioned that consultations with Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are underway to determine the essential equipment and train paramedics. Furthermore, starting from 2025, only buses meeting international safety standards will be allowed on Indian roads. This move aims to replace outdated manufacturing practices that often involve rudimentary methods and materials. Gadkari also proposed that industries sponsor engineering colleges and IITs to conduct road safety audits, enhancing collaboration between sectors to improve road safety.
