India stands committed to reducing road accidents by 50 per cent by 2020, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Mr. Nitin Gadkari, said while seeking the Indian corporate sector’s co-operation in inculcating a culture of road safety.
“The Indian corporate sector should encourage its members to adopt safe driving practices to minimize road accidents. The corporate sector should conduct medical examination and eyesight tests of commercial vehicles entering their premises or transporting goods”, he said while speaking at a “Conclave with Corporate on Road Safety” organized in New Delhi by MoRTH in partnership with the International Road Federation (IRF), FICCI, CII, SIAM and ASSOCHAM as part of the ongoing Road Safety Week.
He said: “We seek help from India Inc. as the country is committed to reducing fatal road accidents by 50 per cent by the end of 2020 as the country is signatory to the UN Decade of Action, We urge the Indian Inc to teach their employees and their families imbibe a culture on road safety and use their logistics and carriers to propagate the message of road safety and to make a certain commitment from their CSR spends on projects of road safety advocacy.”
He added: “As part of the plan to reduce fatalities, the Transport Ministry has undertaken a number of initiatives, including a project to rectify black spots, improving road engineering, use of innovative technology to reduce accidents, removal of encroachments on highways, removal of trees obstructing roads, rectifying defective speed breakers in making airbags mandatory in economy cars, and use of safety bars on sides of trucks.”
Mr. K.K. Kapila, Chairman, International Road Federation, said on the occasion: “India as a signatory to the Brasilia Declaration is committed to reducing road traffic fatalities by 50% by 2020. The number of road accident deaths in India being the highest in the world, higher penalties for traffic offences will help in reducing fatal road accidents. Strict enforcement with appropriate penalties, accompanied by public awareness of the laws, will be a critical factor in reducing road traffic injuries and deaths.”
The others who were present on the occasion included Mr. Abhe Damle, Jt Secretary, MoRTH, Dr. Henk Bekedam, the WHO representative in India, and FICCI, ASSOCHAM, CII and SIAM representatives.