Road accidents: Nitin Gadkari urges auto industry to support govt for bringing change in human behaviour

Gadkari also said that there was a paid social media campaign against ethanol to target him.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari today said that the automobile industry needs to support the government in bringing about a change in human behaviour to curb road accidents.

According to the 'Road Accidents in India 2023' report of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), a total of 4,80,583 road accidents were recorded in India, resulting in 1,72,890 deaths. While road accidents increased 4.18% y-o-y, fatalities jumped 2.61% y-o-y for the year under consideration.

The most common cause of road accidents and deaths in 2023 was overspeeding, followed by driving on the wrong side or lane indiscipline, drunken driving or consumption of alcohol and drugs, driving while using a mobile phone, and jumping a red light.

The report has been compiled by the Transport Research Wing of MoRTH by gathering data from police departments of all the states and union territories (UTs) and over 10,00,000 cities in India.

Addressing the automobile industry at the 65th Annual Convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Gadkari said, "This is a dark area (road accidents) in my department, where we could not succeed. A lot of mistakes were made in road engineering. We have tried to rectify to a large extent. We have spent over Rs 40,000 crore to fix blind spots."

"Around 40,000 two-wheeler riders die as they do not wear helmets. We came out with an order to provide a helmet mandatorily with a two-wheeler. We have made stricter rules. However, human behaviour is a big problem," he added.

Non-use of seatbelts killed 8,441 drivers and 7,584 passengers in 2023, while 39,160 riders and 15,408 pillions died during road accidents as they were not wearing helmets.

"People do not cross roads properly. They break traffic signals, use cell phones while driving and riding, and do not adhere to lane discipline. To change this human behaviour, we have started a public campaign," Gadkari observed.

Gadkari said that he has requested Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to start road safety courses in schools. "We are engaging with educational institutions, NGOs and other organisations to work towards road safety," he added.

In 2023, 34,482 road accident victims were in the 18-25 age group, while the highest were in the 25-35 age group at 43,398.

"We need to bring a change in human behaviour, especially in the younger generation, and we are working towards it. I do not feel good while saying that the younger generation neither respects the law nor is afraid of it, which is quite a strange situation," he said.

"I myself promised that I would reduce road accidents in some years. However, I have not been able to do so. On the contrary, the road accidents are rising. I have been able to achieve all my targets. Road-related works are not at all a problem. We do not have any financial issues either. But we have not been successful in bringing down road accidents. This is more of a social problem, and we need to change human behaviour. The industry needs to support us in this matter," he observed.

On the E20 fuel (petrol blended with 20% ethanol) controversy, Gadkari said that the automakers, SIAM, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and other concerned agencies have given clarity regarding the findings of the E20 programme. "The Supreme Court has taken its decision as well," he said.

Vehicle owners as well as industry experts had raised concerns over the incompatibility of E20 fuel with older petrol-powered vehicles, leading to issues like wear and tear on rubber/plastic/fuel system components and corrosion, and even a drop in mileage.

However, Gadkari maintained that there was a paid social media campaign against ethanol to target him.

"Everything was baseless, and there is complete clarity now. We are importing fossil fuels worth Rs 22 lakh crore. We decided to make ethanol from maize. It has resulted in benefits of up to Rs 45,000 crore for the farmers. The per quintal rate of maize has increased from Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,800. This year, the maize cultivation rose three times in our country," he said.