As per the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), a total of 47,984 people died on national highways and expressways last year
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari revealed that in 2020, a total of 1,16,496 road accidents occurred on national highways of India, including expressways, which resulted in 47,984 deaths. In 2019, the accident count on national highways was 1,37,191, with a death toll of 53,872.
The minister also stated that advanced traffic management systems are an important part of the concession agreement, and revisions to it include incidence detection smart cameras, emergency telephone boxes, CCTV cameras, and other tech-based solutions. MoRTH is also planning to set up medical facilities and helipads for emergency evacuation along Indian highways.
India is infamous for road accidents, which are one of the leading causes of death and injury in the country. While better surveillance and medical care would potentially help reduce the death toll on roads, bringing the number of accidents down would be way more difficult, especially if Indian drivers do not improve their on-road manners.
However, awareness about road and vehicle safety has been rising among people in India recently, thanks in part to efforts by Global NCAP. The safety authority has been crash testing Indian cars, and publishing safety ratings for the tested cars. Tata Punch and Mahindra XUV700 have the top scores, with a 5-star adult safety rating and a 4-star child safety rating.
Tata Altroz and Nexon also have a 5-star adult safety rating, along with a 3-star child safety rating. Mahindra Thar takes the fifth spot on the safety chart, with a 4-star rating for both adult as well as child safety. It is great to see that Indian carmakers are leading the safety race in the Indian car market.
Advanced driver safety systems (ADAS) have now started making their way to cars in the Indian market. These consist of features like automatic emergency braking, pedestrian recognition, lane-keep assist, etc., which actively improve the safety of a car by reducing the chances of an accident. As ADAS become more popular in Indian cars in the coming times, the number of road accidents should potentially decrease.