Gadkari emphasises the urgent need for improved road safety and notes the rapid growth of electric vehicles in the country as a step towards greener transportation.
- Updated On Mar 25, 2025 at 07:58 PM IST
Read by: 100 Industry Professionals
Read by 100 Industry Professionals
Nitin Gadkari“>
In a stark reminder of the severity of road safety issues in India, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, said on Tuesday that riots and pandemics do not claim as many lives as road accidents do.
Gadkari made the comments during a fire-side chat at the Times Drive Auto Summit & Awards 2025. The Union Minister’s remarks came as part of a broader discussion on the nation’s transportation challenges and the rising role of electric vehicles (EVs) in the Indian automotive sector.
Gadkari pointed out that India witnesses a staggering 4.90 lakh road accidents annually, resulting in over 1 lakh fatalities. “This is a shocking reality. We are losing more lives on our roads than in riots or pandemics,” Gadkari said, emphasising the urgency of improving road safety measures in the country.
He also addressed the growth of electric vehicles (EVs), stating that EV adoption has outpaced that of traditional petrol and diesel vehicles.
“The future of transportation in India is green. The cost of electric vehicles and petrol or diesel vehicles will be more or less the same in the next six months,” Gadkari said, pointing to the rapid advancement of EV technology and infrastructure in the country.
The road accident crisis in India
India has one of the highest road accident rates in the world. According to data shared by Gadkari in the Lok Sabha in December, 1.78 lakh people lose their lives in road accidents each year. 60% of these victims are young people aged between 18 to 34 years, underscoring the vulnerability of the nation’s youth on the roads.According to the data shared by government, Uttar Pradesh leads with over 23,000 deaths, followed by Tamil Nadu with more than 18,000 deaths. Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh also report significant numbers of fatalities, with over 15,000 and 13,000 deaths respectively.
In urban areas, Delhi tops the chart with over 1,400 deaths, followed by Bengaluru with 915 deaths and Jaipur at 850 deaths.
Gadkari lamented that despite numerous road safety measures, there remains a lack of fear of the law, especially among those driving two-wheelers without helmets or jumping red lights.
“We must address this behavior, as it is costing us lives,” Gadkari said.
Towards a greener and safer future
Gadkari also shared that India has the capacity to manufacture 50,000 electric buses currently, though the country needs at least 1 to 1.5 lakh to meet the transportation demand. He emphasized that ethanol will play a key role in driving India’s automotive sector towards alternative fuel sources.Gadkari also mentioned the country’s reliance on importing 90 lakh tons of bitumen annually and how efforts to reduce this import by 15 lakh tons would help both the environment and the economy.
Additionally, he spoke about the evolving landscape of aviation fuel and the role it would play in India’s future mobility.
With the growing concern over road safety and pollution, Nitin Gadkari’s comments highlight the need for stricter enforcement of traffic laws and accelerated adoption of green technologies like electric vehicles.
The government’s push for safer, sustainable transportation is more critical than ever as road accidents continue to claim precious lives across the nation.
- Published On Mar 25, 2025 at 07:58 PM IST
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