Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that road accidents in India have increased and that human behaviour must change for things to improve.
He also underlined that he had set a target to reduce accidents by 50% when he first took charge as the road transport and highways minister.
“Forget about reducing the number of accidents, I have no hesitation to admit that it has been increased,” Gadkari said, according to PTI. "When I go to attend international conferences where there is a discussion on road accidents, I try to hide my face."
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The minister, who was replying to a supplementary question during the Question Hour, said that for things to improve, human behaviour in India has to change, society has to change and the rule of law has to be respected.
Gadkari said road accidents claim 1.78 lakh lives annually in the country and 60% of the victims are in the age group of 18-34 years.
He said that in Uttar Pradesh, over 23,000 people (or 13.7% of the total deaths due to road accidents) have died, followed by Tamil Nadu with over 18,000 (10.6%) deaths.
{{/usCountry}}He said that in Uttar Pradesh, over 23,000 people (or 13.7% of the total deaths due to road accidents) have died, followed by Tamil Nadu with over 18,000 (10.6%) deaths.
{{/usCountry}}In Maharashtra, the figure stands at over 15,000 (or 9% of the total deaths), followed by Madhya Pradesh with over 13,000 (8%) deaths.
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In cities, Delhi leads the chart with over 1,400 deaths annually, followed by Bengaluru with 915 deaths.
Gadkari also said that truck parking on the road is a major cause of accidents, and many trucks don't follow lane discipline. The minister added he has ordered them to follow international standards in making bus bodies in India. There has to be a hammer near a bus window so that it can be broken easily in case of accidents, reported PTI.
The union minister further pointed out that he and his family met with a major accident some years ago and that he was hospitalised for a long time. "By the grace of God, I and my family were saved. So I have my personal experience of accidents," he told the Lok Sabha.