Parliament Question: Strengthening Road Safety

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. - 3078 ANSWERED ON 06th AUGUST, 2026 STRENGTHENING ROAD SAFETY 3078. SHRI SURESH KUMAR SHETKAR: Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री be pleased to state: (a) the steps taken to strengthen emergency trauma care, ambulance services and the Golden Hour response mechanism for road accident victims across the country; (b) whether the Government has undertaken any assessment of the implementation of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 with regard to improvement in road safety and reduction in traffic violations, if so, the findings thereof; (c) the details of initiatives undertaken to improve road safety awareness among school students, young drivers and commercial vehicle operators along with the outcomes achieved thereof; (d) whether the Government has issued guidelines for mandatory road safety audits at various stages of National Highway (NH) projects, if so, the details thereof and the extent of compliance by implementing agencies; and (e) whether the Government proposes to launch any new scheme or mission to achieve the target of substantially reducing road accident fatalities by 2030, if so, the details thereof including the financial outlay, implementation strategy and the expected outcomes?ANSWER THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI) (a) and (e) In accordance with the legal mandate under Section 162 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the Cashless Treatment for Road Accident Victims Scheme, 2025 was launched for nationwide implementation on 13.02.2026. The scheme provides treatment cover upto ₹1.5 lakh per victim, subject to a maximum cap of 7 days from date of accident on any category of road. Further, the treatment cover will be available to all those victims who are involved in road accidents caused by use of motor vehicles. The following measures have been taken to strengthen the Golden Hour response mechanism: (i). Through convergence with the 112 Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), a victim or Good Samaritan may obtain details of the nearest designated hospital and seek ambulance support. The jurisdictional police are also intimated to facilitate timely response and authentication. (ii). Hospitals empanelled under AB PM-JAY and compliant with the guidelines issued by the National Health Authority are automatically listed as designated hospitals under the Scheme. States and Union Territories have also been enabled by NHA vide O.M. No. S- 12018/81/2024 dated 20 May 2025, to onboard additional hospitals with the requisite trauma-care infrastructure and skilled personnel, particularly near accident hotspots and in areas with limited treatment facilities.(iii). Where a victim reaches a non-designated hospital, the hospital is required to provide immediate stabilisation treatment, thereby ensuring treatment even where a designated facility is not located at the first point of care. (iv). The Government has instituted the Rah-Veer Scheme to encourage citizens to assist victims of serious road accidents during the Golden Hour. The Scheme operates along with the protections provided to Good Samaritans under Section 134A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and the Good Samaritan Rules notified vide G.S.R. 594(E) dated 29.09.2020. Any individual who has assisted a victim of a serious accident involving a motor vehicle by administering immediate assistance and rushing the victim to a Hospital/Trauma Care Centre within the Golden Hour of the accident for medical treatment is eligible for a cash reward of Rs. 25,000 per incident, along with a Certificate of Appreciation, subject to the provisions of the Scheme. (b) 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 sole jurisdiction of State Governments/UT Administrations. (c) A media outreach activity namely 'Sadak Suraksha Abhiyaan' hs been undertaken during the Financial Year 2025–26, under which, awareness activities on road safety issue, including safety of school going children, etc., have been undertaken. As part of the Abhiyaan, a total of 150 Nukkad Natak (street plays) were organized in schools across the country with the objective of creating behavioural change and enhancing road safety awareness among students. Further, the pilot phase of Project Abhay was implemented in collaboration with Indian Institute (IIT) Delhi across six States,namely Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu during the year 2024-2025. The project reached over 50,000 truck drivers through health camps at major logistics hubs and provided comprehensive health check-ups, eye screening and spectacle distribution, behavioural change workshops, mental wellness support, and social security mapping and enrolment. The report of the projects mentions that about 55.1% of truck drivers were found to have compromised vision, with 53% requiring distance vision correction and 46.7% needing near-vision correction. 44.3% of drivers exhibited borderline or above Body Mass Index (BMI), 57.4% had elevated blood pressure levels, and 18.4% showed borderline or high blood sugar levels. Further, about 33.9% of drivers reported moderate stress, while 2.9% were found to have high stress levels, emphasizing the need for mental health support. With respect to the social security coverage, the report mentions that 48.3% of drivers lacked coverage under any social security schemes, and 68.6% were not insured. Under the above-said programme, a total of 50,713 drivers underwent health check-ups, behavioural workshops and eye screening, while social security mapping was carried out for 46,693 drivers. Based on eligibility, 26,158 individuals were issued corrective eyewear / spectacles. Under the programme, 15,447 drivers were enrolled under e-Shram, 8,444 under Ayushman Bharat, 390 under other insurance schemes and 3,706 under Abhay Suraksha Bima Yojana. (d) In so far as National Highways (NHs) are concerned, works are carried out as per standards, guidelines, manual, code of practice of Indian Roads Congress as well as specifications for Road and Bridge Works. Necessary road safety measures are taken during design, construction, operation and maintenance stages. Further, Guidelines have been issued for regular safety audit of all NHs at design, construction, pre-opening stage of NH projects as well as on existing NHs for ensuring road safety. *****