A national seminar at IIT Delhi brought together road safety experts who recommended lowering maximum speed limits to 100 km/h on highways and 50 km/h in urban areas to address India's rising road fatalities.
29 Jan 2026 | 142 Views | By Sarthak Mahajan
Speed management emerged as a critical priority for reducing road fatalities in India during a national seminar held at IIT Delhi as part of National Road Safety Month 2026. Organized by the Road Safety Network (RSN) in collaboration with IIT Delhi and IIT Kharagpur, the event brought together road safety ...
This is an Autocar Pro Plus article. Subscribe to continue reading.
Speed management emerged as a critical priority for reducing road fatalities in India during a national seminar held at IIT Delhi as part of National Road Safety Month 2026. Organized by the Road Safety Network (RSN) in collaboration with IIT Delhi and IIT Kharagpur, the event brought together road safety researchers, policymakers, enforcement officials, urban planners, and civil society organizations to discuss maximum speed limits on national highways and urban roads.
India records over 1.7 lakh road fatalities annually, with speeding cited as the leading cause, contributing to more than 70% of these deaths. Speakers noted that while road infrastructure has expanded rapidly, speed limits have not been adjusted to reflect mixed traffic conditions, human injury tolerance, and the safety of vulnerable road users.
Bhargab Maitra, Professor at IIT Kharagpur's Civil Engineering Department and member of the Road Safety Network, stated: "While National Highways form just 2% of India's road network, they account for over 36% of road fatalities. Speeding is the biggest risk factor, especially for vulnerable road users. Lowering maximum speed limits, along with stronger enforcement, greater awareness, and improved emergency response, is critical to saving lives."
The first session focused on national highways, which account for a disproportionately high share of road fatalities. Experts highlighted that high operating speeds, combined with heterogeneous traffic, frequent access points, roadside activity, and inadequate protection for pedestrians and two-wheelers, have increased crash severity.
David Cliff, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Road Safety Partnership in Geneva, emphasized that modest speed reductions can significantly lower fatalities and injuries. He recommended maximum speeds of 30 km/h in cities, under 80 km/h on rural roads, and 100 km/h on expressways, with strict enforcement aligned to global best practices.
The second session addressed urban speed limits, noting that speeding continues to claim thousands of lives in cities annually. According to the 2023 MoRTH report, more than 17,000 people were killed and over 73,000 were injured in cities with populations exceeding 1 million. Current maximum speed limits are set at 120 km/h on expressways, 100 km/h on highways, and up to 70 km/h on urban roads.
Prof. Geetam Tiwari from IIT Delhi's TRIP Centre stated: "In India, setting rational speed limits is crucial as road crashes rise. There's often a gap between road design, speed limit implementation, and public compliance. Effective enforcement, combined with better road planning, is key. Global evidence is clear that 50 km/h is the absolute maximum safe speed in urban areas."
Participants called for a maximum speed limit of 50 km/h on urban roads, with lower limits in residential areas, school zones, and pedestrian-dense streets. They noted that lower speeds improve liveability, public health, and environmental outcomes without significantly affecting commute times due to existing congestion.
Dr. Kayitha Ravinder, Chief Scientist at CSIR-CRRI, said: "Enforcement alone cannot solve speeding, especially in cities. Police cannot be present everywhere, and issuing fines without redesigning streets has limited impact. Evidence-based speed limits combined with road design interventions are the most reliable way to reduce fatalities."
Prof. P. K. Sikdar, advisor to the International Road Federation (India Chapter), noted: "Under-reporting of speeding-related crashes and high motorcycle fatalities continue to mask the true scale of India's road safety problem. With nearly 60% of serious crashes occurring at intersections, speed management and context-sensitive road design are critical."
Participants emphasized that revising speed limits is a low-cost, high-impact regulatory action that can be implemented immediately, unlike infrastructure-heavy interventions that require longer timelines. The seminar outcomes will be compiled into a formal policy submission by the Road Safety Network to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The event was hosted by the Road Safety Network (RSN), a national coalition working to make India's roads safer through evidence-based policy and stronger governance. The seminar brought together officials from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Delhi Police, World Health Organization India, World Resources Institute India, and other stakeholders to deliberate on actionable strategies for improving road safety.