Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has launched a nationwide effort to draft a comprehensive Road Safety Plan – 2025.
The initiative took shape during a full-day brainstorming session in New Delhi, bringing together senior policymakers, international road safety experts, private industry leaders, and civil society representatives. With India recording nearly 1.5 lakh road deaths every year, the country remains among the worst globally in terms of traffic-related fatalities. Despite accounting for just 1 per cent of the world’s vehicles, India contributes 11 per cent to global road deaths—a statistic the government is determined to reverse.
Addressing the gathering, Gadkari emphasised that the responsibility for road safety lies not only with the authorities but with every citizen. “We must make road safety a people’s movement,” he said, adding that reducing accident-related fatalities is both a moral imperative and a developmental necessity. The forthcoming Road Safety Plan – 2025 is envisioned as a multidimensional strategy involving legal reforms, public awareness, infrastructure modernisation, and improved enforcement. The policy framework is likely to include AI-driven traffic monitoring systems, climate-resilient road design, real-time black spot audits, and promotion of electric and non-motorised transport.
Gadkari underlined the importance of embedding gender-inclusive and accessible mobility design into future road planning. The plan is also expected to give particular attention to pedestrian safety, cyclist infrastructure, and school-zone traffic regulation—areas long neglected in India’s car-centric urban planning. Significantly, the brainstorming event was not a top-down policy presentation but a participatory consultation involving NGOs, researchers, logistics firms, and urban transport planners. Their input is expected to influence the final blueprint of the plan.
Stakeholders from both government and industry noted that this moment represents a rare convergence of political will, technological opportunity, and citizen concern. India’s growing urban population and increasing vehicular density demand a fundamental reset in how mobility and safety are prioritised. The success of this plan, they caution, will rest not just on laws or infrastructure, but on changing mindsets across generations. The hope is that with Nitin Gadkari at the helm, backed by a responsive public and a coordinated institutional framework, India can finally make its roads safer for all.
In a heartfelt social media appeal, Gadkari reached out to Indian households, urging them to be the first line of defence in promoting traffic discipline. “Let’s remind our loved ones—Jaldi Mat Machao, Aaram Se Aao,” he wrote, encouraging citizens to internalise safety habits and actively discourage reckless behaviour. Experts believe that if rigorously implemented, the Road Safety Plan could halve India’s road fatalities by 2025, aligning the country with global best practices and fulfilling part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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