Road Accidents: Public Policy and Ground Realities

Author(s): Dr. Anshu Tiwari and SH Jitender Kumar

Abstract:

Road transport plays a vital role in driving economic integration, labour mobility, and regional development in modern economies. In India, rapid motorization and infrastructure growth have greatly improved connectivity, but these advances have also led to a significant increase in road traffic injuries and deaths. India now reports one of the highest numbers of road crash fatalities worldwide, disproportionately affecting people aged 18–45, who are economically active. Recent data shows a continuing rise in accidents, deaths, and injuries, highlighting systemic issues in enforcement, infrastructure design, vehicle safety standards, and post-crash response systems. This study examines the scale, underlying causes, and multidimensional impacts of road accidents in India, situating the problem within broader public health and governance frameworks. It analyses systemic risk factors including overspeeding, behavioural non-compliance, infrastructure vulnerabilities, fragmented institutional coordination, and enforcement limitations. The paper further evaluates India’s evolving road safety initiatives, encompassing legislative reforms, technology-enabled enforcement, engineering interventions, digital data systems, and emergency response strengthening. By adopting a comprehensive perspective grounded in the Safe System approach, the study highlights the need for integrated, data-driven, and accountability-oriented strategies to achieve sustainable reductions in road traffic mortality and injury burden.

keywords:

Pages: 58-63     |    5 View     |    1 Download