Parisar & RSN urge Nitin Gadkari to set safer speed limits on roads, highways

Establishment of the National Road Safety Board must be expedited to function as a body that advises the government on such technical and policy matters and gives independent scientific inputs

Members of ‘Parisar’ and ‘Road Safety Network (RSN)’ have urged union transport minister Nitin Gadkari to set safer speed limits on Indian roads and highways and expedite the formation of the National Road Safety Board to commemorate the recently concluded National Safety Week (March 4 to 10, 2023).

Speed was the biggest contributor to casualties in road crashes, contributing to nearly 70% of the total deaths (HT PHOTO)

Parisar and RSN have jointly written to Gadkari, urging him to take the aforementioned measures as necessary steps to “fulfil India’s commitment of reducing the number of persons killed in road crashes in the country by half by the year 2025.”

“We must reduce the speed limits to safe levels as ‘speed’ is the single most prominent risk factor causing the highest number of road traffic-related crashes, hence, deaths and injuries in India,” the letter states.

Establishment of the National Road Safety Board must be expedited to function as a body that advises the government on such technical and policy matters and gives independent scientific inputs for decision making, effective implementation, and monitoring at all levels, according to the letter.

As per the annual ‘Road Accidents in India’ report of the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), speed was the biggest contributor to casualties in road crashes, contributing to nearly 70% of the total deaths in road crashes in 2021. The same year saw as many as 107,236 persons killed in road crashes due to speed, which is the highest in the past decade. Road safety experts have called to caution the recently raised speed limit on expressways (120 kmph).

The RSN has urged the union transport minister “to reduce the prescribed legal speed limits to safer levels” saying that addressing the single behavioural risk factor of ‘speed’ will help immediately reduce the number of deaths considerably.

The ministry has in the past constituted committees to recommend speed limits. In September 2021, the rules for establishment of a National Road Safety Board were formulated by the transport ministry. However, no members have been appointed to the board as of now, Parisar alleged. Sandeep Gaikwad, senior programme associate, Parisar, said, “As we celebrate the NSW, the safety of every road user (pedestrians, cyclists and two-wheeler riders) must be given priority. We cannot achieve it unless we take steps to improve the safety of people on roads effectively.”

Ranjit Gadgil, programme director, Parisar, said, “Reducing speed limits to safer levels along with effective enforcement and proper monitoring will help reduce deaths in a short span of time. Gadkari has committed himself to reducing the number of road crash-related deaths by half by the year 2025, much ahead of the targeted year 2030. It is a bold and important commitment for saving valuable lives on Indian roads. Addressing the issue of speed by reducing speed limits to safer levels will help in achieving this target.”