More people have lost their lives in India in road accidents than in wars, militancy and Naxalism, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday. Addressing the sixth edition of FICCI Road Safety Awards and Conclave 2024, Gadkari said the number of blackspots is increasing because of bad detailed project reports (DPRs) of road projects.
"More people have lost lives in road crashes than wars, militancy, and Naxalism," he said, adding that India accounts for 5 lakh accidents and 1.5 lakh deaths annually, while 3 lakh people are injured.
"This caused a 3 percent loss to the country's GDP. Like a sacrificial lamb, a driver is blamed for every accident. Let me tell you, and I observe minutely — often, the road engineering is at fault," he said.
The minister emphasised the need to conduct a safety audit of all highways. He also noted that to reduce the number of accidents, "we need to follow lane discipline".
Gadkari added that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is readying codes for ambulances and their drivers, to train them in using sophisticated machinery like cutters to rescue road accident victims quickly.
Currently, ambulances often lack these tools, leading to delays of up to three hours in rescuing trapped victims.
Gadkari informed that the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have been consulted to determine the necessary equipment, and paramedics will receive training in their use. From 2025, only buses meeting international safety standards will be permitted, he added.
"This decision addresses the current practice of manufacturing buses using rudimentary methods, often involving hammers, wooden planks, and aluminium sheets," Gadkari said, adding that the transition aims to improve the safety standards of public transportation significantly.
The minister also proposed a collaboration where industries would sponsor engineering colleges and IITs to conduct road safety audits.