Parliament Question: Road Accidents

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 410 ANSWERED ON 21ST AUGUST, 2025 ROAD ACCIDENTS *410. SHRI RAJESH VERMA: DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE: Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has identified major causes of road accidents in the country including overspeeding and potholes, if so, the details thereof; (b) the measures being taken to improve road infrastructure and eliminate accident-prone spots across the country; (c) whether the Government proposes to implement stricter enforcement mechanisms and awareness campaigns to curb reckless driving and overspeeding and if so, the details thereof; (d) the role of technology and smart traffic management systems in enhancing road safety; and (e) the manner in which Government policies align with ensuring safer transportation for all citizens? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI) (a) to (e) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.______________________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *410 FOR ANSWER ON 21.08.2025 ASKED BY SHRI RAJESH VERMA AND DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE REGARDING ROAD ACCIDENTS. ________________________________________________________________________________ (a) The Government publishes report on “Road Accidents in India” based on data received from States/ UTs. As per the data, road accidents are multi-causal phenomenon and are the result of interplay of various factors. These can broadly be categorized into (i) human error, (ii) road condition/environment and (iii) vehicular condition. Total number of Road Accidents in the country on all categories of roads classified according to major causes during 2022 is given below : - Causes of road accidents No. of road accidents Over-speeding 3,33,323 Drunken driving/consumption of alcohol & 10,080 drug Driving on wrong side/Lane indiscipline 22,586 Jumping red light 4,021 Use of mobile phone 7,558 Others $ 83,744 All India 4,61,312 $ including 4,446 accidents attributed to potholes. (b) to (e) The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 enacted by the Parliament has strengthened the traffic laws in the country. Sub-section (1) of Section 198A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 provides for any designated authority, contractor, consultant or concessionaire responsible for the design or construction or maintenance of the safety standards of the road to follow such design, construction and maintenance standards, as may be prescribed by the Central Government from time to time. 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.High priority is accorded to identification and rectification of black spots/accident spots on NHs. Rectification of black spots is a continuous process and temporary rectification measures are taken on immediate basis. Long term rectification works include improvement of road geometrics, junction improvements, spot widening of carriageway, construction of underpasses/overpasses, etc. which involve pre-construction activities such as land acquisition, forest clearance & utility shifting which takes significant time. Further, rectification measures on accident spots on National Highways as reported on Electronic Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) Portal are also undertaken. Section 136A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 provides for electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety on National Highways, State Highways, roads or in any urban city within a state which has a population up to such limits as may be prescribed by the Government. Accordingly, Government has published Rule 167A under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989 in August 2021 for Electronic Monitoring and Enforcement of Road Safety at high-risk and high- density corridors on National Highways, State Highways and at critical junctions in cities having more than one million population and cities under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in the Country. The responsibility to implement the provisions of Rule 167A of the CMVR, 1989 in terms of section 136A of the MV Act, 1988 comes under the purview of the State Governments. However, to support the States, Government has issued guidelines for incentive to States for Implementation of Electronic Enforcement of Road Safety under the Scheme of Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2025- 26 (SASCI 2025-26) with allocation of Rs. 3,000 Crore on First-Come- First-Served basis. The Government undertakes the construction of National Highways and access-controlled National Expressways with the incorporation of appropriate safety measures and equipment to ensure safe and efficient transportation. Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) is installed in high traffic density National Highways and National Expressways such as Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Trans-Haryana, Eastern Peripheral Expressway etc. by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) has provisions for various electronic enforcement devices which help in speedy identification of incidents on the highway stretches and effectively monitor the highways, thereby improving the response time of the on-site assistance.In new NH projects on high density and high speed corridors of NHAI, installation of ATMS is generally a part of the project. Further, ATMS is also implemented as standalone projects in already constructed important corridors. ATMS includes sub-systems like AI based Video Incident Detection and Enforcement System (VIDES) 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. 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. Further, Government in the Ministry of Railways has also undertaken various activities for ensuring safer transportation of citizens, which interalia include electrical / electronic interlocking systems, interlocking of level crossing gates, complete Track Circuiting of stations, introduction of Kavach as a highly technology intensive system, provisions of retro-reflective sigma boards, GPS based Fog Safety Device, etc.Annexure ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) to (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 410 ANSWERED ON 21ST AUGUST, 2025 ASKED BY SHRI RAJESH VERMA AND DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE REGARDING ROAD ACCIDENTS Details of various initiatives taken by the Government in Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for road safety : - (1) Education: i. Administers a 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. Administers 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. iv. Prepared Concept Note and Road Map for involvement of volunteers under Sadak Suraksha Mitra for Road Safety related works. (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 under the Ministry 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:  Seat Belt Reminder (SBR) for driver and co-driver.  Manual Override for central locking system  Over speed warning system. For all M and N category vehicles:  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 procedurefor 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. (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 corridorson 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. Government has issued guidelines for incentive to States for Implementation of Electronic Enforcement of Road Safety under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2025- 26 (SASCI 2025-26) with allocation of Rs. 3,000 Crore (on first come first serve basis). iv. 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. (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 in Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified the Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims Scheme, 2025 on 5th May, 2025. The detailed guidelines including process flow, stakeholder wise standard operating procedures and clearly delineated roles and responsibilities have also been notified on 4th June, 2025. *****