The ‘Road Safety Week’, which began yesterday, was launched by Union Home minister Rajnath Singh at a function in New Delhi in the presence of Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari and Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Harsh Vardhan. Speaking at the function, Nitin Gadkari, stated that airbags will be made compulsory in every car.

Singh called upon all stakeholders to play an effective role in ensuring safety on roads. Expressing concern about the 5,00,000 road accidents that take place in the country every year in which about 1,40,000 lakh people lose their lives and over 5,00,000 are injured, Singh said that there is a need for proper training of drivers before they are issued driving licenses.

Meanwhile, Gadkari announced a number of measures to address the problems. He said that a website is being launched to help identify the ‘black spots’ where accidents take place frequently. People can send information about such spots to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), which will further take up the issue with the concerned authorities. An amount of Rs 11,000 crore is being earmarked in the next five years to fix black spots across the country.

Expressing concern over the way driving licenses are issued, Gadkari said that training schools are being opened and computers will be used for conducting driving tests. He also emphasised on the use of seatbelts and helmets and appealed to people to not to use mobile phones while driving.

Gadkari also announced that a Road Safety Authority will be constituted and a Road Transport and Safety Bill will be placed shortly before Parliament. He asked people to take a resolve on road safety and bring down road accidents by 50 percent in the next five years.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Harsh Vardhan pointed out that issues of road safety and health safety are interlinked. He said that spirit of road safety will have to be inculcated in every child, and emphasised on a policy on design of speedbreakers.

A Road Safety Walk, ‘Walkathon’ was also flagged off by the ministers from India Gate on the occasion. It had been organised by the Ministry in association with Delhi Police and Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) to solicit their active participation in the road safety movement.

The Road Safety Week is organised every year to spread awareness among the general public to improve the safety on the road and to give an opportunity to all stakeholders to contribute to this pertinent cause.