Nearly 19 people die of accidents every hour in India, said Union Minister for Road Transportation and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, amid reports of the country reporting the maximum number of road accidents and consequent deaths in the world.
Through his address at the 64th annual conference of Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) in New Delhi on Tuesday (September 10), Gadkari requested all stakeholders to concentrate on reducing accidents.
Nearly 53 accidents every hour in India
“There are nearly 53 accidents and 19 deaths every hour in the country. Just imagine, 45 per cent of the accidents because of two-wheelers, 20 per cent in pedestrians,” HT Auto quoted Gadkari as saying at the SIAM event.
‘Positive solution’
The minister also highlighted measures to make roads in India safer for motorists and pedestrians. He urged the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to contribute towards bringing down the number of accidents in India. “I really request you all to take interest in starting driver-training schools. Then we can train good drivers and it can be a really positive solution.”
Govt working on faulty road constructions & signage
Gadkari admitted that his department is working on faulty road constructions and signage and also underlined the need for safer vehicles.
The minister highlighted the importance of Bharat New Car Assessment Program or NCAP, which is India’s crash-safety ratings for vehicles sold in the market.
“Bharat NCAP will ensure healthy competition between manufacturers to have safer vehicles for customers,” the minister said.
Bharat NCAP is akin to Global NCAP and awards a perfect five-star rating to vehicles found providing the highest safety.
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53 accidents, 19 deaths every hour: Nitin Gadkari reveals how treacherous Indian roads are
