Gadkari asks 2-wheeler makers to provide helmets to vehicle buyers at discount

Union minister Nitin Gadkari

Two-wheeler manufacturers should provide helmets to the purchaser of the vehicle at a discount or reasonable rate as many people die in road accidents just for not wearing helmets, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on September 4.

Addressing an event in New Delhi, Gadkari said 50,029 people lost their lives in accidents in the country in 2022 when they were not wearing helmets.

"I am thinking of requesting two-wheeler manufacturers… if they can give some reasonable discount on helmets to the purchaser of the vehicle then we can save the life of the people," he said.

Gadkari has been vocal about the rising number of road accidents in the country. In January, he had blamed the rise in traffic accidents happening in India on the declining quality of engineering graduates in the country and poor project planning by them.

During that time, the minister had highlighted on the fact that there had been a 12 percent increase in road accidents and a 10 percent rise in road accident deaths, resulting in a socio-economic loss of 3.14 percent to gross domestic product (GDP).

ALSO READ: MC Exclusive | Safer roads only possible if common man observes traffic rules, says Nitin Gadkari

Meanwhile, the road transport and highways minister today also stressed on the need to plan the parking arrangement for school buses.

Noting that the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 has enforced hefty penalties on traffic offences, he said, "But actually, effective enforcement is also a big challenge." Gadkari said his ambition is to start driving school in every taluka of the country.

According to a new report titled "National Strategy for Prevention of Unintentional Injury", compiled by the Ministry of Health, road crashes cause the most deaths due to unintentional injuries in India, accounting for more than 43 percent of such fatalities, with overspeeding being the leading reason.

"There were 4,30,504 deaths from unintentional injuries and 1,70,924 deaths due to intentional injuries in India in 2022. From 2016 to 2022, there has been a marginal increase in deaths due to unintentional and intentional injuries. Road traffic crashes are the highest cause of unintentional injuries (43.7 percent)," the report had said.

(With PTI inputs)