'I Hide My Face at World Conferences, Our Record is the Worst...': Nitin Gadkari on Rising Accidents

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari expressed deep concern over India's alarming road accident statistics while addressing the Parliament on Thursday. He admitted to feeling embarrassed at international conferences when the topic of road safety arises, as India's record remains one of the worst globally. Gadkari highlighted that while countries like Sweden have achieved near-zero road fatalities, accidents in India are on the rise instead of declining.

Key Insights from Gadkari’s Address

Gadkari admitted his goal of reducing road accident deaths by 50% by 2024 remains unfulfilled, with accidents increasing instead.

He emphasized the need for behavioral change among citizens and strict adherence to traffic laws to improve safety.

Contributing Factors to Accidents

Improper parking of trucks and lack of lane discipline contribute significantly to accidents.

Poor construction standards for buses, such as the lack of emergency hammers near windows, were also some of the problems.

Staggering Statistics

1.78 lakh people die in road accidents in India every year. 60% of victims are between 18 and 34 years.

23,000 deaths occur in Uttar Pradesh annually (13.7% of total deaths), followed by Tamil Nadu with 18,000 deaths (10.6%), and Maharashtra with 15,000 deaths (9%).

Gadkari demanded comprehensive enforcement of road safety norms and recounted personal experiences of surviving a road mishap to underpin the necessity to adopt urgent reforms for this increasingly grave crisis.