India's road accidents soar to five lakh annually, Gadkari says 20 people die every hour
Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday highlighted the country's road safety crisis, noting that around five lakh accidents are reported annually. He called for stricter norms, helmet use and safer infrastructure to reduce fatalities.
India's road accident toll soars to five lakh per year, with 20 lives lost every hour, warned Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari at a safety event in Delhi. Every year, India records approximately five lakh road accidents, resulting in 1.8 lakh deaths, 66% of which are among young people. Out of all road fatalities, two-wheeler riders account for 46.2%, followed by pedestrians at 20.6% and car/taxi/van/light motor vehicle users at 12.4%.
The minister pointed out that poorly designed roads contribute significantly to these numbers, and the Central government is allocating ₹40,000 crore to eliminate "black spots." The ministry has also targeted 100 districts with high accident rates for intervention. Gadkari emphasized that road fatalities in India contrast sharply with Sweden, where fatalities are now zero.
He stressed that human behavior remains the biggest weakness, and improving infrastructure and enforcement alone is insufficient without changing people's behavior on the road. Gadkari stressed that road safety is a shared national responsibility requiring collective efforts from the government, institutions, industry, and every road user.
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