Govt to spend Rs 11,000 cr in next 5 yrs to curb accidents

India tops the world in road deaths, with 1,38,000 killed each year; govt targets 50% reduction in mishaps

The government is likely to spend Rs 11,000 crore in the next five years to improve the road infrastructure sector in the country to reduce the number of accidents. This was stated by Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari during the “Road Safety Walk” organized today from India Gate in New Delhi to mark the 27th Road Safety Week.

With 80 per cent of all road deaths worldwide estimated in low-income nations, India leads the world in road accident deaths, with around 1,38,000 people being killed each year. The country also accounts for 10 per cent of global road accident deaths.

According to a road ministry report, the number of accidents in the country increased from 486,476 in 2013 to 489,400 in 2014. Fatalities also rose from 137,572 in 2013 to 1,39,671 in 2014. Injuries at 493,474 in 2014 were more or less same compared to the previous year.

On average, 56 road accidents occur and 16 lives are lost in them every hour in India.

Gadkari added that the government is committed to reduce the number of accidents by 50 per cent in next five years. “ We will spend around Rs. 11,000 crore in next five years to improve the infrastructure. The work on infrastructure will start soon,” Gadkari added. In India, about 1.38 lakh persons are killed in road crashes every year while many more get injured and disabled for life. Youth in the age group of 15 to 24 years comprise 33% of the total fatalities.   

The National Road Safety Week will be observed during January 11-17 across the country. It is observed every year in January to generate awareness among people about road safety.

Two-wheelers (29.3 per cent) are the most vulnerable and unprotected road users killed in road accidents in the country. Other road users killed in road accidents are cars, taxies, vans and other light and medium motor vehicles (16.3 per cent), other motor vehicles (12.6 per cent), trucks (12.3 per cent), pedestrians (8.8 per cent), buses (8.7 per cent), auto rickshaws (5.1 per cent) and others (4.0 per cent).  

This year, it will be dedicated on the theme ‘road safety time for action’. Besides, encouraging motorists to inculcate the habit of wearing helmet, asking pedestrians to follow traffic rules while moving on the roads will be on the cards.

"Safer roads and mobility is one of the five pillars of the UN Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. The pillar emphasizes the need to raise the inherent safety and protective quality of road networks for the benefit of all road users,” said K K Kapila, Chairman, International Road Federation (IRF).

The analysis of road accidents in terms of causal factors reveals that drivers’ fault is single most important factor responsible for accidents, followed by fault of drivers of other vehicles, defects in motor vehicles, defect in road conditions and faults of pedestrians.