Shimla, May 5 (UNI) India’s roads, seen as the path to economic mobility and development, have today turned into death corridors, claiming one life every three minutes. In 2023 alone, over 1.72 lakh people lost their lives in 4.8 lakh road accidents — a grim reminder of the country’s growing road safety crisis.
Among the deceased were 10,000 children, 35,000 pedestrians, and tens of thousands of two-wheeler riders. Negligence, overspeeding, and a blatant disregard for safety norms emerged as leading causes. Alarmingly, 54,000 of those killed were not wearing helmets, while 16,000 had not fastened seatbelts.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari admitted that human error is a primary cause, but did not shy away from holding faulty road design and poor engineering accountable. Since 2019, the ministry has identified over 13,795 black spots across national highways, yet only about 5,000 have been repaired so far — an inadequate response given the scale of the problem.
A road safety audit by IIT Delhi’s Centre for Transport Research and Injury Prevention (TRIPP) has exposed deeper flaws: poorly constructed crash barriers, unsafe median dividers, and dangerous road elevations in rural areas. "Safety devices not built to standards are not safeguards — they are death traps," warned Prof. Geetam Tiwari of IIT Delhi.
India, home to 35 crore registered vehicles and 66 lakh km of roads, faces a complex traffic mix. From cattle to cycles, from trucks to pedestrians — all share the same space. Add to that roadside encroachments, chaotic intersections, and poor emergency response systems, and the result is an unrelenting stream of fatalities.
Though the government has introduced a “5E strategy” — encompassing road and vehicle engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency care — experts remain sceptical. Prof. Kavi Bhalla of the University of Chicago argues that simply widening roads may not help: “Higher speed leads to greater risk. India must stop mimicking the US model and instead invest in data-backed, inclusive safety solutions.”
The economic cost is staggering. Nearly 3% of India’s GDP is lost annually due to road accidents, impacting everything from health to education. Experts are now calling for transparent licensing systems, mandatory safety norms in construction, and the integration of AI-based surveillance and public awareness campaigns from the school level.
As Additional Superintendent of Police Narveer Singh Rathore of the State Vigilance Bureau, Shimla, asserts in his recent release: “Every accident snatches away someone’s loved one. It’s time we stop treating road safety as a side issue — and act, boldly and decisively.”
UNI ML PRS