Parliament Question: Fog-related accidents and mitigation on National Highways

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 2993 ANSWERED ON - 18/03/2026 FOG-RELATED ACCIDENTS AND MITIGATION ON NATIONAL HIGHWAYS

2993. MS. SWATI MALIWAL:

Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS be pleased to state :-

(a) number of accidents and fatalities attributed to dense fog on National Highways during each of last five years, State-wise/UT-wise and highway stretches identified as high-risk fog-prone corridors;

(b) fog-mitigation infrastructure currently deployed on National Highways, stretch-wise and State-wise/UT-wise;

(c) whether SOP or Fog Action Plan exists for traffic management in fog-prone regions and measures implemented during last two winter seasons along with expenditure incurred;

(d) number of violations detected and penalised during fog conditions for non-compliance with safety norms applicable to heavy vehicles; and

(e) whether Government proposes additional measures such as mandatory speed restrictions or real-time fog alert systems on identified high-risk corridors? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a) The Central Government publishes annual report “Road Accidents in India”, based on data received from States/UTs. As per the report, details of number of road accidents and fatalities on all categories of roads, including on National Highways, in the country attributed to the weather condition “Foggy & Misty” during the years 2020 to 2024 are at Annexure – I and II respectively.

(b) and (c) There is no specific Indian Road Congress (IRC) guidelines for fog-mitigation infrastructure. However, para 5.6.2 of IRC:35-2015 prescribes use of solar road studs for enhancing visibility during foggy conditions.

Further, to counter reduced visibility due to foggy conditions on the National Highways during the winter season, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken mitigation measures to enhance visibility for the safety of National Highway users. To enhance road safety during foggy conditions, mitigation measures have been classified under two heads of ‘Engineering’ and ‘Safety Awareness’ measures.

The ‘Engineering measures’ include reinstalling missing/damaged road signs and road studs, rectifying faded or inadequate pavement markings, installation of reflective markers and retro- reflective yellow stickers on road safety devices like metal beam crash barriers, implementation of safety measures on construction stretches that include barricading, diversion signs, and providing solar blinkers on the median openings to maximize visibility on National Highway stretches.The ‘Safety Awareness’ measures highlight steps to alert National Highway users of the reduced visibility conditions. These measures include use of Variable Message Signs (VMS) or electronic signages to display ‘Foggy Weather Alerts’ and speed limits, use of Public Address System warning commuters in foggy areas, use of electronic billboards, radio, and social media for public service announcements as well as installation of reflective tapes on vehicles to enhance visibility.

In addition, NHAI field offices have been directed to undertake night-time highway inspection on weekly basis to assess visibility on National Highways and identify locations for installing additional provisions as required. Also, Highway Patrol vehicles are stationed near dense foggy stretches, carrying blinking batons for guiding traffic. Also, use of reflective jackets by officials and workers during highway activities has been mandated. NHAI collaborates with local law enforcement, ambulance services, and municipal authorities for seamless emergency response. In addition, NHAI teams conduct joint drills with traffic police to ensure efficient coordination during fog-related emergencies.

NHAI has also delegated financial powers for rectification of accident spots to its field officers;these can be utilized for taking measures to enhance visibility during foggy weather and overall safety.

In order to ensure safety, NHAI urges National Highway commuters to follow safe driving techniques during foggy conditions such as following lane driving and maintaining safe distance from the vehicle ahead, driving at the speed of 30km/hr or less to ensure adequate visibility for stopping the vehicle safely, driving vehicles with head/back light blinking,not park vehicles on Highways but only at designated locations such as truck lay bays and wayside amenities, drive carefully near construction sites and diversions, install reflective tapes on commercial vehicles in full width of the vehicle which includes white tape on front and red colored tape at the rear of the vehicle.

Further, in order to create awareness to prevent accidents in foggy weather, necessary guidelines and instructions are publichsed on social media. In addition, cautions/ awareness message is being sent to all the Driving Licence holders in the country during the foggy season.

(d) Foggy weather is generally observed during October to January. As per information available on eChallan Portal, total number of echallans issued during October 2025 to January 2026 is 3,27,21,011, which includes the challans issued due to non-compliance of safety norms during the foggy season.

(e) The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 is the principal instrument through which road transport is regulated in the country. In exercise of powers conferred under sub-section (1) of section 112 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, Central Government fixes the maximum speed for various classes of motor vehicles on different categories of roads. Further, Sub-Section (2) of the Section 112 authorises the State Government or any authority authorised in this behalf by the State Government to further restrict the speed limits for specific vehicles, areas, or roads, either generally or under certain conditions in the interest of public safety or convenience or because of the nature of any road or bridge.

Sub-section (1) of Section 183 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, states that 'whoever drives or causes any person who is employed by him or subjects someone under his control to drive a motor vehicle in contravention of the speed limits referred to in section 112 shall be punishable in the following manner, namely : —

(i) where such motor vehicle is a light motor vehicle with fine which shall not be less than one thousand rupees but may extend to two thousand rupees;

(ii) where such motor vehicle is a medium goods vehicle or a medium passenger vehicle or a heavy goods vehicle or a heavy passenger vehicle with fine which shall not be less than two thousand rupees, but may extend to four thousand rupees; and(iii) for the second or any subsequent offence under this sub-section the driving licence of such driver shall be impounded as per the provisions of the sub section (4) of section 206.'

Rule 167(A) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, notified by the Central Government under

Section 136(A) of the Motor Act, 1988, provides for electronic monitoring and enforcement of Road Safety including enforcement of the speed limits.

The traffic management and enforcement is essentially in the domain of State Governments/UT Administrations. While Central Government formulates rules under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, the enforcement of these rules comes under the purview of State Governments/UT Administrations.

Government in the Ministry of Communications has earmarked 50 MHz in the frequency range of 5875-6925 MHz in the National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP-2025) for Intelligent Transport System (V2V) use. V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) Communication system enables vehicles to broadcast their status data (such as position, speed etc.) with surrounding vehicles to provide a level of situational awareness that exceeds human vision or traditional sensors like cameras, radar, etc.

specially at the intersections or blind spots. This system will enable real-time alerts to be generated in motor vehicles in low visibility conditions.Annexure - I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2993 ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026 ASKED BY MS. SWATI MALIWAL REGARDING FOG-RELATED ACCIDENTS AND MITIGATION ON NATIONAL HIGHWAYS.

No. of Road Accidents attributed to weather condition "Foggy and Misty" S. No States/UTs 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 1 Andhra Pradesh 1563 1211 1656 1556 1548 2 Arunachal Pradesh 28 47 39 59 55 3 Assam 1033 1191 1202 1311 1460 4 Bihar 2258 2200 2275 2347 1960 5 Chhattisgarh 385 297 480 435 534 6 Goa 0 0 0 3 3 7 Gujarat 354 469 451 575 573 8 Haryana 1892 1530 838 1058 977 9 Himachal Pradesh 16 21 50 152 97 10 Jharkhand 623 692 597 637 665 11 Karnataka 1319 1987 2578 2212 2184 12 Kerala 1060 1498 3107 4017 3618 13 Madhya Pradesh 3432 4034 4474 4751 4947 14 Maharashtra 313 524 560 521 515 15 Manipur 57 59 90 89 71 16 Meghalaya 30 8 19 19 10 17 Mizoram 5 8 8 8 6 18 Nagaland 111 130 91 42 20 19 Odisha 895 1259 1632 1768 1997 20 Punjab 1041 1086 872 885 880 21 Rajasthan 501 322 589 693 719 22 Sikkim 25 28 29 11 13 23 Tamil Nadu 2886 2124 3353 652 508 24 Telangana 277 569 555 849 437 25 Tripura 26 16 35 25 27 26 Uttarakhand 58 56 71 62 76 27 Uttar Pradesh 6700 6658 7183 8191 9075 28 West Bengal 513 547 512 407 407 29 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 0 0 0 0 0 30 Chandigarh 6 2 5 6 4 31 Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu 26 38 39 29 13 32 Delhi 194 32 462 618 177 33 Jammu & Kashmir 52 82 108 118 98 34 Ladakh NA 13 19 37 54 35 Lakshadweep 0 0 0 0 0 36 Puducherry 0 196 283 123 227 Total 27679 28934 34262 34266 33955

Note: 1. NA: not applicable.

2. Data have been reconciled for West Bengal and Tamil Nadu for the calendar year 2020

3. Figures of West Bengal for the year 2024 are re-casted based on the pattern of the data furnished by the State Police Department for the year 2023 and the aggregate e-DAR data of the State for the year 2024Annexure - II ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2993 ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026 ASKED BY MS. SWATI MALIWAL REGARDING FOG-RELATED ACCIDENTS AND MITIGATION ON NATIONAL HIGHWAYS.

No. of Persons Killed in Road Accidents attributed to weather condition "Foggy and Misty" S. No States/UTs 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 1 Andhra Pradesh 639 464 661 700 682 2 Arunachal Pradesh 16 30 30 24 25 3 Assam 401 415 464 562 634 4 Bihar 1722 1800 1842 1864 1559 5 Chhattisgarh 175 112 227 219 333 6 Goa 0 0 0 0 0 7 Gujarat 150 284 259 309 315 8 Haryana 912 735 422 426 494 9 Himachal Pradesh 9 11 26 71 31 10 Jharkhand 409 527 487 524 530 11 Karnataka 375 647 757 677 649 12 Kerala 182 230 458 491 424 13 Madhya Pradesh 840 1233 1177 1163 1523 14 Maharashtra 152 202 308 265 287 15 Manipur 20 21 26 15 16 16 Meghalaya 23 5 15 14 7 17 Mizoram 5 7 5 12 5 18 Nagaland 8 3 13 9 6 19 Odisha 414 572 731 832 962 20 Punjab 734 799 712 701 697 21 Rajasthan 257 160 245 324 347 22 Sikkim 7 11 14 8 8 23 Tamil Nadu 824 684 1032 189 150 24 Telangana 129 219 228 273 151 25 Tripura 14 8 18 15 18 26 Uttarakhand 43 37 31 34 37 27 Uttar Pradesh 3705 3782 3920 4408 4845 28 West Bengal 288 296 258 220 244 29 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 0 0 0 0 0 30 Chandigarh 6 1 2 2 4 31 Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu 17 21 16 8 8 32 Delhi 31 8 132 208 40 33 Jammu & Kashmir 4 24 24 29 25 34 Ladakh NA 2 1 7 18 35 Lakshadweep 0 0 0 0 0 36 Puducherry 0 22 42 14 41 Total 12511 13372 14583 14617 15115

Note: 1. NA: not applicable

2. Data have been reconciled for West Bengal and Tamil Nadu for the calendar year 2020

3.Figures of West Bengal for the year 2024 are re-casted based on the pattern of the data furnished by the State Police Department for the year 2023 and the aggregate e-DAR data of the State for the year 2024 *****