Govt mandates safety audits at all stages of road development

Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, told the media that safety audits have been mandated at all stages of road construction to reduce accidents. Gadkari said during the opening of a virtual symposium on vehicle crash safety that India and other developing countries have a very high rate of road accidents, with 1.5 lakh people killed every year, which is even higher than the Covid deaths. The minister said that the goal is to reduce road accident deaths by 50% by 2020 and to eliminate all accidents and deaths by 2030. Gadkari informed that Two-wheeler riders account for roughly 60% of all fatalities. Gadkari said Motorcycle traffic protection and safety is a pressing need. In the global scenario, vehicle engineering technology has advanced to the point where all road engineering measures will reduce the likelihood of fatal vehicle crashes, at least during the accident event. The importance of driver training and the establishment of advanced training institutes and centres was emphasised by the minister. Gadkari stated that it was the moral responsibility to improve road infrastructure and build good roads. Cooperation, communication, and coordination among all stakeholders, are necessary for raising awareness and achieving their objectives. Image Source Also read: NHAI mandates drone surveillance for all highway projects Also read: NHAI debars Gayatri Projects for non-performance