Sunday, 23 Mar, 2025
Photo courtesy: Pixabay
National highways, constituting just 2% of the road network, are the site of 33% of accidents and 36.2% of road fatalities. State highways, with a larger share of the network, account for 23.1% of accidents and 24.3% of deaths.
India received the Prince Michael Decade of Action Road Safety Award last week for improving vehicle safety, including mandating anti-lock braking systems and introducing a car safety rating regime. Yet, the broader reality remains grim. More than 15 lakh deaths in a decade—170,000 in 2023 alone—expose glaring gaps in enforcement, infrastructure, and public awareness. That’s one fatality every three minutes. Data from the transport ministry and insurer Acko highlight chaos in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, worsened by weak policing and poor planning. On highways, stray cattle add to the mayhem. Until India fixes these systemic flaws, accolades offer little comfort.
High-profile crashes, including the September 2022 death of former Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry and cricketer Rishabh Pant’s near-fatal accident in December, highlight the perils of India’s roads. Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari’s target of halving road crash fatalities by 2025 is running up against entrenched challenges. Poor road design, weak enforcement, lack of driver education, and even stray cattle contribute to India’s alarming 10 per cent share of global traffic deaths.
Despite policy commitments, experts argue that real change remains elusive. Without urgent structural reforms and strict implementation, ambitious targets risk becoming symbolic gestures—offering little comfort to those affected by preventable tragedies.
Two-wheeler riders remain the most vulnerable on India’s roads, accounting for the highest share of accident fatalities. With motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds making up 75 per cent of all vehicles, their popularity—especially among lower-income families and young buyers—comes at a deadly cost.
Weak enforcement of helmet laws, poor road infrastructure, and chaotic traffic conditions exacerbate the risks. Without urgent policy interventions and stricter safety measures, India’s road fatality crisis will continue to worsen.
The traffic laws are tougher than those in many developed nations—banning mobile phone use while driving and enforcing a lower blood alcohol limit (0.03 per cent vs 0.08 per cent in the US and UK). Yet, enforcement remains weak.
The World Health Organisation ranks India below China and the UK in enforcing speed, drunk driving, and seatbelt laws. A 2019 Motor Vehicles Act aimed to curb violations with stricter penalties, but resistance from states diluted its impact. Without uniform enforcement, stringent laws remain little more than paper promises.
The national highways, despite making up just 2 per cent of the total road network, account for a staggering 33 per cent of accidents and 36.2 per cent of road fatalities. State highways, which cover a larger share of the network, contribute to 23.1 per cent of accidents and 24.3 per cent of deaths.
Over-speeding is the leading cause of road crashes in the country, responsible for 72.3 per cent of accidents and 71.2 per cent of fatalities, according to the roads ministry data. Other dangerous violations include wrong-side driving (4.9 per cent of accidents, 5.4 per cent of deaths) and mobile phone use while driving (1.6 per cent of accidents, 2 per cent of deaths).
The roads ministry spends less than 1 per cent of its budget on safety measures, with allocations hitting a low of 0.13 per cent in 2021-22. While projections indicate a rise to 0.32 per cent by 2025-26, funding remains woefully inadequate.
On the contrary, the US. invests $3.1 billion annually—about 6 per cent of its highway spending—on safety improvements. Without a significant boost in funding, New Delhi’s ambitious road safety targets risk becoming empty rhetoric rather than life-saving action.
