Picture this: In India, a family loses a loved one to a road crash every four minutes— over 400 fatalities each day. As 2047, the 100-year milestone of India’s independence approaches, we must now ask: how can we truly become a developed nation without making our roads safer for everyone?
Road safety is not just about better vehicles, it is about protecting citizens, the nation’s most vital resource. India records highest road fatalities, over 1.5 lakh lives lost and nearly 5 lakh injuries annually, close to 11% of global road crash deaths.
These are not mere statistics, they represent mothers, fathers, children, students, workers, and more whose lives matter.
Each fatality is a tragedy, a lost potential that could have strengthened the country. Each injury hits national productivity and causes heavy economic losses.
Protecting life is regarded as one of the most sacred duties; therefore, road safety should be treated as a national mission and a collective responsibility, thoroughly integrated into policy and action.
Also, rising road crashes demand a holistic response: policy reform, safer roads, technological interventions, and behavioural change. Prioritizing road safety now is critical to saving lives and building a safer, more prosperous nation.
National Mission for Road Safety: Coordinated Action and Accountability
Despite being a serious challenge, the urgency to address road safety and implement preventive measures is still lacking. This is where a National Road Safety Mission can help. With high political involvement, this mission can bring together various ministries, enabling them to implement strict safety regulations, ensure accountability, and protect vulnerable road users like children, pedestrians and cyclists.
Additionally, the establishment of the National Road Safety Board, which is now operating under the oversight of the Supreme Court, also presents an opportunity.
If equipped with competent advisors, the board can develop foresight, enabling the construction of appropriate safety policies, and inter-agency collaboration as well as proper accountability frameworks to monitor enforcement offices.
Policies need to be enforced effectively to convince the public to accept and follow them. There should be legislative accountability and proper enforcement to ensure smooth inter-ministerial collaboration.
A promise to revise sections of Motor Vehicles Act for modernizing road safety laws and ensuring they reflect real world conditions should also become a priority. Moreover, road safety measures should include scientific evidence to enhance and support the regulations. There is also a need to incorporate data, technology and increasing the involvement of society at large.
The question isn’t whether India can invest in road safety; it’s whether we can afford not to make a change. We can no longer view road safety as a secondary agenda. The fatality toll can be dramatically reduced if we shift the perspective—from seeing roads as a cause of tragedy to viewing them as a source of gain. India can use this approach as a productive tool to mark the second century of freedom. Early action on this front can become a noteworthy achievement in India’s journey toward safety.
Strides need to be made to ensure every traveller is protected, and together, India can achieve its vision of Viksit Bharat, where mobility is a right for every citizen.
Authored by:
Rinki Sharma, Lead Projects, Consumer VOICE and RSN Partner