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

Efforts to reduce road accidents in India and curtail casualties will not bear fruit unless citizens adhere to traffic rules and make behavioural changes, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari told Moneycontrol in an exclusive interview.

"Frankly speaking, we are not satisfied, (and are not) seeing a fall in accidents because we need to change human behaviour," Gadkari said.

He added that passengers need to start following traffic signals, cut down on speaking on their phones while driving, and not drive on the wrong side of the road.

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"(In July) A bus was driving on the wrong side of the road on the Meerut-Delhi highway, and there was a big accident," the minister said, adding that six people died because of that accident.

Over speeding, riding without a helmet, drunken driving or wrong-side driving are some of the key traffic violations that led to most of the road accidents in India.

Despite stringent laws, people often tend to break traffic lights.

Gadkari said that although the government is taking steps to improve safety on roads, unless the common public cooperates, road safety will remain an issue in India.

While highlighting the steps the government is taking to improve road safety in India, Gadkari said that the government is planning to set up helipads and drone landing facilities on some of the 670 locations where it is developing wayside amenities along the national highways.

"We are planning to develop 670 locations across national highways, 280 of these locations will have a heliport there," Gadkari said.

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He also highlighted that the government has launched the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) in a bid to boost the country’s road and vehicle safety standards.

The minister also said that his ministry will work with foreign consultants from Switzerland to improve road infrastructure in the hilly states of India.

In May, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had announced that it would be developing world-class Wayside Amenities (WSA) at more than 600 locations along the National Highways.

Such facilities would help in dealing with medical emergencies, such as road accidents.

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Apart from basic facilities like good toilets, parking and restaurants; these wayside amenities will also have dormitories for truck drivers, facilities for charging electric vehicles, and trauma centres, among others.

The Union Minister had earlier said that the government aims to reduce the number of road accidents in India by 50 percent by next year.

According to data shared by the Centre, 1.54 lakh lives were lost in 2021 to road accidents in India. The number was 1.31 lakh in the previous year.

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As many as 3.84 lakh people were also injured, some of them critically, in road mishaps in 2021. Gadkari said the loss of lives is the most tragic part of it all, with most of the victims being below 40 years of age.

"About five lakh road accidents are reported annually in our country and 1.5 fatalities. Most of those who lost their lives are typically in the 18-34 age bracket. Many due to accidents are left amputated for the rest of their life," Gadkari said.

The minister had earlier said that the government is spending Rs 40,000 crore for removing black spots, or accident-prone sites, on Indian roads.