How govt plans to reduce road accident deaths by half by 2024

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said a target had been set to reduce the number of accidents in the country and the resulting deaths by half by 2024 and for this 'black spots' were being removed by spending several crore rupees.

Every year, some 5 lakh road accidents kill 1.5 lakh people and injure over 3 lakh, and the plan was to reduce accidents and deaths by 50 per cent by the end of 2024, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways added.

"To achieve this target, the Union government has spent Rs 25,000 crore so far to remove black spots (sites where multiple accidents have taken place) on highways. With the help of World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB), the government is also working on other projects worth Rs 15,000 crore." Gadkari said.

Funds from these schemes will also be given to state governments so that black spot rectification measures can be taken up by the latter as well, he added.

He said the Union government was working on the 'Bharat New Car Assessment Programme' to give star rating to vehicles after they are subjected to safety checks of world standards.

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Before introducing any vehicle in the market, crash-tests will have to be carried out as per these standards mandatorily, he said.

Asking youth to follow traffic rules, Gadkari said, "Our biggest problem is we don't have respect or fear for traffic rules. People are not bothered about following rules, which results in road accident deaths." Gadkari, who was speaking at an event organised by NGO 'Jan Aakrosh Sanghatan', also said film legend Amitabh Bachchan had assured he would spread awareness among people on road safety.