Transforming India’s Road Safety Landscape

• 08 Nov 2025

This editorial is based on “Death on the move: On India’s disgraceful record in fatal road accidents”, which was published in The Hindu on 06/11/2025. The article underscores India’s alarming road safety crisis, marked by escalating fatality rates, inadequate infrastructure, weak enforcement, and systemic governance failures, calling for urgent, evidence-based policy interventions to curb preventable road deaths.

For Prelims: Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, National Road Safety Policy (NRSP),  Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), National Highway Accident Relief Service Scheme (NHARSS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), SDG Target 3.6  

For Mains:  The Current Scenario of Road Accidents in India, Major Challenges Impeding Road Safety in India, Major Government Initiatives Undertaken to Enhance Road Safety in India 

Recently, a tragic accident near Chevella, Telangana, claimed 19 lives, including an infant, and left several injured when a gravel-laden truck collided head-on with a Telangana State Road Transport Corporation bus. Preliminary findings point to overloading, poor road conditions, and loss of vehicle control as key causes. This devastating incident serves as a grim reminder of India’s worsening road safety crisis, exposing systemic failures in enforcement, infrastructure, and accountability that demand urgent policy intervention. 

What is the Current Scenario of Road Accidents in India? 

• India’s Road Accident Landscape: India accounts for about 11% of global road accident deaths, despite having only around 1% of the world’s vehicles. 
  • India records the highest absolute number of road accident deaths worldwide, with over 1.72 lakh fatalities in 2023, increasing by 2.6% from 1.68 lakh in 2022. 
  • National highways, comprising only 2% of the road network, account for 30% of the fatalities, with 29,018 deaths recorded in the first half of 2025 alone. 
• Demographic and Regional Impact: The most affected age group is 18–45 years, representing 68% of male and 58% of female victims—the nation’s most productive population segment.  
  • Pedestrians, two-wheeler riders, and vulnerable road users face the highest fatality rates.  
  • States such as Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka collectively account for over half of the total accidents. 
• Economic and Social Costs: Road accidents impose an economic burden exceeding 3% of India’s GDP annually, factoring in medical costs, emergency response, and productivity losses.  
  • The Union Government aims to reduce road fatalities by 50% by 2030, as per India’s commitment under the Stockholm Declaration (2020), though current trends and institutional challenges threaten to derail this target. 

What are the Major Challenges Impeding Road Safety in India? 

• Overspeeding:  Overspeeding accounts for nearly 70% of traffic deaths in India, often on national highways and expressways. 
  • For instance, in November 2025, a rash-driven dumper truck crash in Jaipur killed 14 people due to overspeeding on urban roads. 
  • Overspeeding increases both accident frequency and severity, demanding stricter enforcement and speed monitoring technologies. 
• Drunk Driving and Substance Abuse: Despite stringent legal deterrents under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, drunk driving remains a pervasive cause of fatal road accidents in India. 
  • For instance, recent data from Delhi reveals a sharp surge in drunk driving cases, recording 22,703 violations in 2024 — a 40% increase compared to 2023.  
  • Enforcement during night hours is weak, and intoxication detection mechanisms need expansion. 
• Distracted Driving (Mobile Phone Use): Approximately 8% of accidents stem from distracted driving, especially mobile phone usage, such as texting while driving. 
  • Mobile phone use impairs attention and reaction time, leading to more severe crashes. 
  • Increasing smartphone penetration demands public awareness coupled with legislative action. 
• Poor Road Infrastructure and Maintenance: Rapid motorisation without corresponding infrastructure and regulatory upgrades leads to higher accident probability. 
  • Road accident numbers increased from 3.7 lakh in 2020 to 4.8 lakh in 2023, paralleling vehicle growth rates. 
  • Unsafe roads marked by potholes, insufficient signage, broken dividers, and accident-prone “black spots” are a huge hazard. 
    • The tragic 2025 Chevella crash in Telangana, causing 19 deaths, highlighted infrastructural deficits combined with vehicle overloading. 
  • The government has identified more than 8,500 black spots nationwide and is undertaking remedial measures, but long-term infrastructural overhaul requires overcoming land acquisition and clearance hurdles. 
• Non-use of Helmets and Seatbelts:  A general lack of road safety awareness and traffic discipline persists, especially regarding helmet use, seat retention, and adherence to speed limits. 
  • Non-compliance with safety gear contributes to high fatalities. 
    • According to the MoRTH report, in 2023, 54,568 two-wheeler riders—including 39,160 drivers and 15,408 passengers—lost their lives due to not wearing helmets, accounting for 31.6% of all road accident deaths that year.  
    • Similarly, 16,025 fatalities occurred among vehicle occupants who were not wearing seatbelts, comprising 8,441 drivers and 7,584 passengers, which represented 9.3% of total road deaths in 2023. 
  • Behavioural change campaigns like “Sadak Suraksha Jeevan Raksha” seek to educate drivers and pedestrians but need scaling. 
• Inadequate Driver Training and Licensing:  Many drivers, particularly in rural areas, operate without valid licenses or formal training, contributing to reckless driving behaviours. 
  • Studies show that untrained and unlicensed drivers significantly influence accident numbers and severity. 
  • The government aims to improve this via district-level driver training centres but implementation is uneven. 
• Weak Enforcement and Fragmented Institutional Governance: Enforcement of traffic laws is patchy due to coordination gaps among multiple agencies. 
  • Electronic enforcement such as AI-driven speed cameras and CCTVs is being piloted but not widespread yet. 
  • The National Road Safety Board created for better coordination is yet to become fully functional. 
  • Delays in trauma care and ambulance availability exacerbate road accident fatality rates. 
  • Many accident victims die because they do not receive timely medical intervention within the critical ‘Golden Hour’ post-accident. 

What are the Major Government Initiatives Undertaken to Enhance Road Safety in India? 

• Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019: Enacted to strengthen vehicle and driver regulation with stricter penalties for offences like overspeeding, drunk driving, helmet and seatbelt violations. 
  • Enables electronic monitoring and issuance of e-challans. 
  • Mandates vehicle safety features including airbags and ABS in new vehicles and makes driving licenses more stringent. 
  • Establishes protections for Good Samaritans to encourage accident aid. 
• National Road Safety Policy (NRSP): Serves as the policy backbone, emphasizing safe infrastructure, better licensing and training, law enforcement, and public awareness. 
  •  Prioritises eliminating black spots, strengthening road audit systems, and improving pedestrian and cyclist safety. 
  • Calls for tailored interventions recognising regional disparities in accident patterns and causes. 
• National Road Safety Board (NRSB): Constituted to serve as a central agency for road safety governance, policy coordination, and monitoring. 
• Road Infrastructure Improvements and Black Spot Rectification: Over 8,500 identified black spots (high-risk accident zones) are targeted for remediation, with measures including signage upgrades, road widening, installation of crash barriers, and geometric improvements. 
  • Road safety audits have been made mandatory for all National Highway projects from the design to the maintenance stage. 
  • Enhanced funding for road safety is incorporated into highway projects, ranging from 2–15% of total costs. 
• Advanced Traffic Enforcement Technologies: Rollout of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems, speed and red-light cameras, and AI-enabled video incident detection on key highways and urban roads. 
  • Virtual court systems for faster adjudication of traffic offences were launched, integrating digital penalty collection and blacklisting of repeat offenders. 
  •  Central guidelines were issued for electronic monitoring in all cities with populations over one million. 
• Driving Training, Licensing, and Vehicle Fitness: Establishment of driving training centres and vehicle fitness testing facilities across all districts to enhance competence and compliance. 
  • Steps toward the digitisation of licensing processes and standardisation of training curricula. 
• Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care: Strengthening pre-hospital care infrastructure through the National Highway Accident Relief Service Scheme (NHARSS). 
• Public Awareness Campaigns and Education: National campaigns like “Sadak Suraksha Jeevan Raksha” promote helmet use, seatbelt compliance, safe speeds, and responsible road usage. 
  • Inclusion of road safety education within school curricula to inculcate early awareness. 
  • Engagement with civil society groups, such as SaveLIFE Foundation, for grassroots behavioural change initiatives. 
• Data-Driven Policy and Transparency: Development of a National Database for Fatal Crashes to compile comprehensive, real-time accident data, assisting in targeted interventions. 
  • Public access to accident data fosters transparency and accountability among authorities. 
  • Adoption of data analytics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map accident hotspots and prioritise safety investments.

What Comprehensive Measures can be Adopted to Strengthen the Road Safety Ecosystem in India? 

• Implement the Safe System Approach with Rigorous Road Safety Audits: India should institutionalise the Safe System Approach, which acknowledges human error but designs roads and policies to minimise fatal consequences.  
  • This includes mandatory road safety audits at every stage of highway and urban road development, as recommended by the Indian Road Safety Board and Supreme Court guidelines.  
  • Regular audits ensure infrastructure addresses pedestrian needs, vulnerable users, and accident black spots, reducing risks systematically. 
• Strengthen Law Enforcement Using Technology and Stricter Penalties: To curb overspeeding, drunk driving, and non-compliance with helmet/seatbelt laws, India must expand electronic enforcement via AI-enabled cameras, speed detection systems, and e-challan integration, as piloted in Uttar Pradesh.  
  • The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 should be fully enforced nationwide with stringent penalties, repeat offender tracking, and virtual courts for faster adjudication.  
  • The Sundar Committee recommended the establishment of a National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board along with a National Road Safety Fund to ensure coordinated policy implementation, effective regulation, and sustained financing for road safety initiatives across India. 
• Modernise and Maintain Road Infrastructure with Inclusive Design: India must increase investment in engineering safer roads—eliminating black spots, improving road signage, lighting, pedestrian crossings, and cycling lanes.  
  • Infrastructure must accommodate vulnerable groups, including pedestrians and disabled persons.  
  • Lessons from Scandinavian countries demonstrate the efficacy of well-maintained roads with integrated safety features.  
  • Urban planning should decongest roads and ensure safer last-mile connectivity. 
    • The UN’s Second Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030) aims to reduce global road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50% by 2030, emphasizing a coordinated global effort to enhance road infrastructure, enforcement, vehicle safety, and public awareness under a shared vision of safe and sustainable mobility for all. 
• Enhance Driver Training, Licensing, and Certification: Robust reforms are required to plug gaps in driver competence.  
  • District-level driving training centers should be scaled up, with standardised curricula based on international norms, including practical assessments and psychological fitness checks.  
  • Digitization of license issuance and stringent controls on fake licenses will improve road discipline.  
  • Periodic refresher courses and re-certifications, similar to Singapore’s model, could enhance driver accountability. 
• Invest in Trauma Care and Emergency Medical Services (EMS): India’s high post-accident fatality rate can be reduced by improving EMS infrastructure. 
  • Expansion of trauma centres along highways, ambulances with trained paramedics at toll plazas (under NHARSS), and cashless treatment schemes must be accelerated nationwide.  
  • The ‘Golden Hour’ post-accident interventions require better ambulance response times and hospital coordination, as per Supreme Court directives and WHO recommendations. 
  • Equally important is the protection and incentivization of Good Samaritans who assist accident victims, through legal safeguards, public awareness, and reward mechanisms to encourage timely help without fear of harassment or legal repercussions. 
• Promote Public Awareness and Behavioural Change Campaigns: Sustained public campaigns like “Sadak Suraksha Jeevan Raksha”, incorporated into National Road Safety Month, must focus on helmet use, speed adherence, and sober driving. 
  • Mandatory road safety education in schools and driver training institutes can inculcate a culture of compliance.  
  • Engaging NGOs, media, and corporations in behaviour modification initiatives aligned with the  WHO’s Decade of Action could deepen impact. 
• Develop a Robust National Road Safety Data Ecosystem: Implementing a comprehensive national crash database with real-time reporting via e-DAR systems enables evidence-based policymaking.  
  • Public access to road accident databases, as implemented by the UK’s STATS19 system, promotes transparency, accountability, and data-driven policymaking, enabling citizens and researchers to monitor trends and assess policy outcomes. 
    • India’s MoRTH Crash Data Portal offers a foundational step toward building a comprehensive, open-access road safety information system that supports evidence-based interventions. 
  • Integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help identify risk patterns and prioritise high-impact interventions. 

Conclusion :  

Since road accidents are caused, not inevitable, even a moment of negligence can devastate lives. The Kerala High Court rightly emphasized that road safety is not just a rule but a collective responsibility. To achieve SDG Target 3.6 and halve road deaths by 2030, India must adopt the Safe System Approach, strengthen technology-based enforcement, modernize infrastructure, improve driver training and trauma care, and enhance data-driven monitoring through sustained public awareness and judicial oversight for accountability and safer roads. 

Drishti Mains Question:

Critically examine how India’s growing road accident crisis reflects deep-rooted systemic challenges. Suggest comprehensive policy measures to enhance road safety. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

Q.1.Why is India referred to as the global epicentre of road fatalities? 
India accounts for 11% of global road deaths despite having only 1% of the world’s vehicles, recording over 1.72 lakh fatalities in 2023, the highest in the world.

Q.2.What demographic and economic impacts arise from India’s road accident burden? 
Victims are mainly working-age adults (18–45 years), causing productivity losses; accidents cost over 3% of India’s GDP annually, reflecting both economic and social distress.

Q.3.How has the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 strengthened road safety governance? 
It introduced stricter penalties, electronic enforcement, Good Samaritan protections, vehicle safety standards (airbags, ABS), and digitized licensing to enhance accountability and compliance.

Q.4.What institutional and technological reforms are being implemented for road safety? 
Creation of the National Road Safety Board (NRSB), AI-based speed monitoring, ANPR systems, e-challans, and virtual courts mark the shift toward data-driven, tech-enabled enforcement.

Q.5.What strategic shift is recommended for sustainable road safety in India? 
Adopting the Safe System Approach, ensuring inclusive road design, robust EMS, public awareness, and data transparency are key to meeting SDG Target 3.6 and achieving zero preventable deaths. 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ) 

Prelims

Q1. In India, the term “Public Key Infrastructure” is used in the context of : (2020) 

(a) Digital security infrastructure  

(b) Food security infrastructure  

(c) Health care and education infrastructure  

(d) Telecommunication and transportation infrastructure  

Ans: (a)

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Mains 

Q. National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) emphasises on ‘moving people’ instead of ‘moving vehicles’. Discuss critically the success of the various strategies of the Government in this regard. (2014)