Aim to reduce road accidents to half by 2030, says Gadkari

Despite efforts, Gadkari said, the number of accidents and related deaths is not decreasing. “This is extremely saddening,” he said, while addressing attendees at the launch of ‘Road Safety Good Practices in India’ report made in collaboration with the World Bank. The report stated that scaling up corridor-based road safety practices can save as many as 40,000 lives each year.

The government aims at a 50% reduction in road accident deaths by 2030, Gadkari announced. “The amount of awareness that’s required in road safety is not present at the moment, the matter requires serious attention… it is currently on the government’s top most priority,” he said.

The Save Life Foundation report used case studies of 13 roads from across the nation to highlight successful safety stories. One such road is NH48 (Old Mumbai-Pune Highway), which has seen a 61% drop in fatalities between 2018 and 2021. “There has been a reduction in accidents after problems were solved. This means that road engineering can help reduce fatalities,” he said.