If you frequently travel by bike or car, this news is significant for you. The government is actively working towards reducing road accidents.
Initially, there was a target to decrease road accidents by half before the year 2024.
However, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has made a statement that might disappoint you.
Gadkari mentioned that achieving the goal of a 50 percent reduction in road accidents by 2024 will not be possible.
Lack of Effort and Cooperation
The Union Minister explained that the target of reducing road accidents by half by 2024 will not be met due to both governmental shortcomings and individuals compromising on road safety standards.
Gadkari stated during a program, “We aimed to reduce the number of road accidents by 50 percent before 2024.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t achieve this target because we also have some deficiencies, and some people are not making efforts.”
Lack of Progress towards the Target
Highlighting the importance of improving road construction engineering, Gadkari expressed,
“The individuals responsible for preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) are not fulfilling their duties adequately.
Their mindset focuses on cost savings. Consequently, they compromise on road safety standards during DPR preparation to reduce construction expenses.
They intentionally overlook the provision of flyovers or underpasses on roads.
While this reduces costs, it hampers our progress towards achieving the target.”
Annual Toll of 200,000 Fatalities in Road Accidents
Gadkari further added, “We have identified areas with high accident rates, and proper roadside signages also play a vital role in reducing risks.
Additionally, adhering to lane discipline can contribute significantly to ensuring road safety in our country.
Every year, approximately 500,000 road accidents occur in India, resulting in about 200,000 fatalities.
Shockingly, more lives are lost in road accidents compared to conflicts, riots, or terrorist attacks.”
