Gadkari deeply troubled by grim road accident record, says 'I hide my face' — the death toll will leave you breathless

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu):Central Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, expressed deep sorrow over India's grim road accident record during a session in the Lok Sabha. He stated that the country's road safety track record is so poor that he feels compelled to hide his face at international conferences. Gadkari highlighted the alarming statistics, revealing that over 1.7 lakh people lose their lives every year in road accidents—far more than those who die in combat, due to COVID, or in riots. Despite several efforts by his ministry, the number of road fatalities continues to rise.

Gadkari emphasized that societal change, along with fear of the law, is essential to curbing accidents. He further revealed that according to the NITI Aayog report, 30% of road accident victims die due to lack of timely medical treatment. In response, a cashless treatment initiative has been introduced as a pilot project in Uttar Pradesh, with plans to expand nationwide. He also stressed the need for reforms in India's driving license system, acknowledging that the process is easier in India than in many other countries, and improvements are underway.

The road accident crisis is most severe in Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for 13.7% of the total fatalities, followed by Tamil Nadu (10.6%) and Maharashtra (9%). In cities, Delhi tops the list with over 1,400 deaths annually, while Bengaluru and Jaipur report 915 and 850 deaths, respectively. Gadkari called on MPs to take action to reduce road accidents and raise awareness in society.