Safety audit has been made mandatory at all stages of road construction to reduce accidents: Gadkari

Road Transport and Highways and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Nitin Gadkari said that safety audits have been made mandatory to reduce accidents at all stages of road construction. He inaugurated the virtual symposium on Vehicle Collision Safety. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister informed that the rate of road accidents in India and other developing countries is very high and about 1.5 lakh people die every year, which is more than the Covid deaths. He further said that his vision is to reduce road accident deaths by 50 percent and reduce accidents and deaths to zero by 2030. Gadkari said about 60 per cent of the deaths are of two-wheeler riders. He said that the safety of motorcycle traffic is the need of the hour. Gadkari further pointed out that in the global scenario vehicle engineering technology has matured to a great extent and all road engineering measures will improve the probability of fatal vehicle collision at least during the occurrence of an accident. Apart from this, the Minister emphasized the importance of training of drivers and setting up of advanced training institutes and centres.
Gadkari said that it is his moral responsibility to build good roads and improve road infrastructure. He further said that collaboration, communication and coordination among all stakeholders is essential to create awareness and achieve our goals.