Nitin Gadkari said - poor design of roads is responsible for accidents, 53 accidents are happening every hour

The primary cause of traffic accidents, according to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, is deficiencies in road engineering. During a CII-hosted conference on road safety, Gadkari stated that the practice of creating inaccurate DPRs persists despite his best efforts.

He has cautioned the engineers once more not to skimp on quality when it comes to DPR. According to Gadkari, the state of road safety in our nation is quite depressing. 1.68 lakh individuals lost their lives in 4.6 lakh accidents in 2022, according to government data.

There has been a greater than ten per cent rise in traffic fatalities and accidents. This indicates that 53 accidents and 19 fatalities occur every hour. According to the Union Minister, the government's primary concern is road safety. The government has pledged to cut accidents by 50% by 2030, but to do so, cooperation from all parties at all levels is required. This effort cannot be done by the government alone.

To prevent traffic accidents, Gadkari emphasised four areas: e-engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency. He added that the government had concentrated on each of them. The amount of fines for breaking traffic laws has also been raised in this order to enhance enforcement, although this won't assist on its own.

Road accidents will stop when people change their behaviour and insist on following the rules. Gadkari termed rewards for following rules rather than punishment for violation of rules as a more effective policy and said that this initiative has yielded good results in cities like Nagpur.