Parliament Question: Road Accidents on NHs

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 791 ANSWERED ON 23RD JULY, 2026 ROAD ACCIDENTS ON NHs 791. SHRI SELVAGANAPATHI T.M.: Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार् ग मंत्री be pleased to state: (a) whether 4.73 lakh road accidents and 1.7 lakh fatalities recorded across the country, during the year 2024, with the National Highways (NHs) alone accounting for over 52,600 deaths and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the Government is considering the creation of a dedicated National Highway Safety Patrol on the lines of the Railway Protection Force to improve accident response, enforce traffic discipline and protect road assets across the country's expanding National Highway network and if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Government has received any recommendations in this regard and if so, the details thereof; and (d) the action taken by the Government on such recommendations, if any? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI) (a) Government publishes report on “Road Accidents in India” based on data received from States/ UTs. As per the report, the details of total number of road accidents and fatalities on all categories of roads in the country, during the year 2024 is given below:- Total no. of Accidents and Fatalities classified according to Road C ategory during 2024Category of Road Accidents Fatalities National Highways* 1,50,958 64,772 State Highways 1,03,538 39,277 Other Roads 2,33,211 73,126 All Roads 4,87,707 1,77,175 Note: *include expressways (b) to (d) 'Police' and 'Public Order' are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. Accordingly, the responsibility for enforcement of traffic laws, maintenance of law and order, and deployment of highway patrols rests primarily with the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. As such, decision on formation of a Road Safety Force would fall within the jurisdiction of the State/UT Governments. The Central Government in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has no proposal under consideration for constituting a National Highway Safety Patrol on the lines of the Railway Protection Force. However, the Government has formulated a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue of road safety based on 4E's i.e. Education, Engineering (both of roads and vehicles), Enforcement and Emergency Care. Accordingly, various initiatives have been taken for road safety in the country as detailed at Annexure.Annexure ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) to (d) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 791 ANSWERED ON 23RD JULY, 2026 ASKED BY SHRI SELVAGANAPATHI T.M. REGARDING ROAD ACCIDENTS ON NHS. Details of various initiatives taken by the Government in Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for road safety: - (1) Education: i. Administered the scheme for setting up of Institutes of Driving Training & Research (IDTRs), Regional Driving Training Centres (RDTCs) and Driving Training Centres (DTCs) at State/district level across the Country. Recently revised scheme guidelines have been issued, incorporating enhanced financial assistance and streamlined eligibility criteria for establishing Driving Training Institutes. Additionally, incentives have been introduced for setting up Automated Testing Stations (ATS) in conjunction with Driving Training Institutes (DTIs) under the Training-Testing Cluster approach. ii. Administered Road Safety Advocacy Scheme for raising awareness about road safety and for administering road safety programs. iii. Observance of National Road Safety Month every year for spreading awareness and strengthening road safety. (2) Engineering: 2.1. Road engineering: i. Road Safety Audit (RSA) of all National Highways (NHs) has been made mandatory through third party auditors/ experts at all stages i.e. design, construction, operation and maintenance etc. ii. High priority is accorded to identification and rectification of black spots /accident spots on NHs. iii. Road Safety Officer (RSO) has been designated at each Regional Office of road owning agencies to look after RSA and other road safety related works. iv. Administers the electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) Project to establish a central repository for reporting, management and analysis of road accidents data across the Country. v. Issued guidelines for the provision of signages on Expressways and National Highways to offer improved visibility and intuitive guidance to the drivers.vi. Provisions have been made in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 for failure to comply with standards for the road design, construction and maintenance, as prescribed by the Central Government from time to time. 2.2 Vehicle engineering: Various initiatives were undertaken to make vehicles safer, including the following:- i. Mandatory provision of an airbag for the passenger seated on the front seat of a vehicle, next to the driver. ii. Prescribed norms related to safety measures for children below four years of age, riding or being carried on a motor cycle. It also specifies use of a safety harness, crash helmet and restricts speed to 40kmph. iii. Mandatory provisions for fitment of following listed safety technologies: - For M1 category vehicles: a. Seat Belt Reminder (SBR) for driver and co-driver. b. Manual Override for central locking system c. Over speed warning system. For all M and N category vehicles: a. Reverse Parking Alert System iv. Mandated Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) for certain classes of L [Motor vehicle with less than four wheels and includes a Quadricycle], M [Motor vehicles with at least four wheels used for carrying passengers] and N [Motor vehicles with at least four wheels used for carrying goods which may also carry persons in addition to goods, subject to conditions stipulated in BIS standards] categories. v. Mandated speed limiting function/speed limiting device in all transport vehicles, except for two wheelers, three wheelers, quadricycles, fire tenders, ambulances and police vehicles. vi. Published the rules for recognition, regulation and control of Automated Testing Stations, which define the procedure for fitness testing of vehicles through automated equipment and the procedure for grant of fitness certificate by ATSs. The rules have been further amended on 31.10.2022 and 14.03.2024. vii. Formulated the Vehicle Scrapping Policy based on incentives/dis-incentives and for creating an ecosystem to phase out old, unfit and polluting vehicles. viii. Formulated a Scheme to set up one model Inspection & Certification Centre in each State/UT with Central assistance for testing the fitness of vehicles through an automated system.ix. Published rules regarding the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP) to introduce the concept of safety rating of passenger cars and empower consumers to take informed decisions. x. Published rules regarding prescribed level playing field in the area of manufacturing of buses by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Bus Body Builders. xi. Mandated vehicles, manufactured on or after 1st October, 2025, shall be fitted with an air-conditioning system for the cabin of vehicles of N2 (goods vehicle with gross vehicle weight exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 12.0 tonnes) and N3 (goods vehicle with gross vehicle weight exceeding 12.0 tonnes) category. xii. Published rules for revision of standards for Safety Belt, Restraint Systems and Safety Belt Reminder to provide provisions for applicability of revised standards for safety belt assemblies, safety belt anchorages and the installation of Safety Belts and Restraint Systems, in Motor vehicles of category M,N and L7 w.e.f. 01st April, 2025. Further, the vehicles of category M1, manufactured on and after the 1st April 2025, shall meet the requirement of safety belt reminder for all front facing rear seats as per AIS-145-2018. xiii. Published rules for Active safety features in Medium and Heavy Duty vehicles, which provide for Braking System including Anti-lock Braking, Endurance Braking System for M2, M3, N1, N2, N3 and Quadricycle (effective for new models from 1st January, 2027 and for existing models from 1st October, 2027), and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) including Vehicle Stability Function (VSF), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning Systems, Blind Spot Information Systems and Moving off Information Systems for M2, M3, N2 and N3 categories of vehicles (effective for new models from 1st October, 2027 and for existing models from 1st January, 2028). xiv. Published rule for Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) meeting AIS-173 audibility standards has been mandated for electric vehicles. The requirement applies to new vehicle models manufactured on or after 1st October 2026 and existing vehicle models manufactured on or after 1st October 2027. Since electric vehicles operate almost silently at low speeds, AVAS generates an audible warning sound to alert pedestrians, cyclists, and especially visually impaired persons of an approaching vehicle, thereby enhancing road safety. (3) Enforcement:i. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 as stands implemented provides for strict penalties for ensuring compliance and enhancing deterrence for violation of traffic rules and strict enforcement through use of technology. 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. ii. Issued rules for Electronic Monitoring and Enforcement of Road Safety. The rules specify the detailed provisions for placement of electronic enforcement devices on high risk & high density corridors on National Highways, State Highways and critical junctions cities having a population of more than one million in the country and cities under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). iii. The Central Government, vide Notification dated 20.01.2026, has amended Rules 167 and 167A of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 to establish a transparent, technology-driven and time- bound e-Challan framework for issuance, payment and redressal of traffic challans. The amendments also provide for online challenge of challans, automated notifications and stronger enforcement measures to improve compliance and road safety. iv. Government has notified the National Road Safety Board Rules, 2025 and in accordance with the provisions of the said Rules, the National Road Safety Board has been constituted and notified vide S.O. 3505(E) dated 29.06.2026. v. The Central Government has formulated the Guidelines on Constitution and Utilization of the State Road Safety Fund (SRSF) and Funding to District Road Safety Committees (DRSCs) 2025 to ensure sustained financing and accountable implementation of road safety measures through the establishment of a non-lapsable State Road Safety Fund and by empowering District Road Safety Committees to undertake targeted road safety interventions at the grassroots level. vi. On 10th June, 2024, the Government has issued an advisory to all the States and Union territories on technological interventions for ensuring compliance with Motor Vehicle Act, 1988. vii. The Government has issued guidelines under the 'Programme for Accelerated Renewal and Incentivization of Vehicle Assets for Reducing Transport Air Pollution and Network Emissions (PARIVARTAN Scheme)' on 14.07.2026 to accelerate the replacement of old, polluting vehicles with cleaner and safer alternatives in Delhi-NCR. The scheme promotes vehicle scrappingand adoption of environmentally friendly vehicles, contributing to improved road safety, reduced emissions, and sustainable mobility. (4) Emergency care: i. Revised the scheme guidelines (named as Rah-Veer) for the protection of Good Samaritan, who in good faith, voluntarily and without expectation of any reward or compensation renders emergency medical or non-medical care or assistance at the scene of an accident to the victim or transports such victim to the hospital. As per the scheme, the reward for Rah-Veer has been increased to Rs. 25,000/- from Rs. 5,000/-. ii. Enhanced compensation of victims of Hit and Run motor accidents (from Rs. 12,500 to Rs. 50,000 for grievous hurt and from Rs. 25,000 to Rs.2,00,000 for death). iii. The National Highways Authority of India has made provisions for ambulances with paramedical staff/Emergency Medical Technician/Nurse at toll plazas on the completed corridors of National Highways. iv. Government has notified the 'Prime Minister – Road Accident Victims' Hospitalisation and Assured Treatment (PM-Rahat) Scheme' (Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims Scheme, 2025) on 5th May 2025. Subsequently, detailed operational guidelines, including the process flow, stakeholder-wise Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and clearly defined roles and responsibilities, were notified on 4th June 2025 to facilitate its effective implementation. *****