The Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari has emphasised the need to put in place an action-oriented plan to bring down the number of road accidents in the country. Inaugurating a two-day regional conference of the International Road Federation (IRF) in New Delhi on Monday, the minister said that a multi-pronged approach is required to tackle the issue of road safety.

Gadkari said that while there is a need to build safer roads, with proper placement of kerbs, under-passes and safety features for pedestrians, the automobile industry also needs to pitch in with effective safety measures in the vehicles being manufactured.

The minister also stressed upon the importance of educating the public about their roles in ensuring road safety, and said that celebrities could be involved in such awareness campaigns. Gadkari also said that the proposed, modified Motor Vehicles Act would go a long way in making Indian roads safer in an effective and transparent manner.

Road accidents in India have risen at an alarming pace in the last decade, with over 141,000 fatalities last year itself. According to recent report by National Crime Records Bureau, a total of 481,805 traffic accidents comprising of 450,898 road accidents, 28,360 railway accidents and 2,547 railway crossing accidents were reported during 2014.

Elaborating on the government’s efforts to improve road safety in the country, Vijay Chhibber, secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said that the government has created a road safety fund, adding that road safety is now a part of Corporate Social Responsibility, as well. Apart from these, the government is setting up modern driving schools and automated vehicle inspection centres along with creating awareness about road behaviour among the public, especially children.

The India Chapter of International Road Federation is organizing its two-day conference on the theme ‘Road Safety Initiatives: Status and the Way Forward’. The United Nations had set a target of reducing the road accidents by 50 percent by the end of the decade (2011-2020). The purpose of the conference is to evaluate the work done so far at this mid-point in the decade, and identify the gaps that still remain both at the policy level and in implementation.

Various technical sessions have been planned on themes such as ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety’, road safety management, safer roads and mobility, safer vehicles, safer road users, post-crash response and funding of road safety and monitoring and evaluation. Road safety awards were also given on the occasion. Meghalaya was given the award in the group of North-Eastern and Hill states, Lakshadweep in the group of Union territories and West Bengal in the group of all other states.

Photograph: Subhash Simhudu