National Highway Accidents Claim Thousands: Gadkari Urges Safety Measures in Rajya Sabha

The frequent accidents occurring on the national highways in the country are a matter of concern, with 26,770 citizens losing their lives on these roads in the first six months of the 2025 financial year, as informed by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

He stated that in the past year (2024), a total of 52,609 people died due to accidents on these highways. As a safety measure, Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) have been installed on important routes such as the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Trans-Haryana Highway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway, and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.

According to the information provided by Gadkari, the speed of national highway construction in the current financial year has decreased to 29 kilometers per day. Comparatively, in 2023-24, this rate was 34 kilometers per day. The highest speed of highway construction was recorded in 2020-21, when 37 kilometers of highways were constructed per day.

The ban on old vehicles in the National Capital Region was not a government decision but was implemented according to the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Gadkari mentioned in response to another question. He clarified that under the vehicle scrapping policy, the government has not imposed any direct ban on the use of vehicles older than 15 years. However, according to the order given by the NGT in 2015, the movement of diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years is prohibited in Delhi NCR. The Supreme Court has also endorsed this.

The increasing accidents on national highways, restrictions on old vehicles, and the slowed pace of highway construction highlight serious challenges facing the country's transportation system. Considering safety, not only infrastructure but also disciplined behavior of vehicle owners, strict enforcement, and public awareness are equally necessary.