1.4 lakh persons are killed in road accidents every year in India

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has organized the Road Safety Week from 11th January 2016 throughout the country to create awareness among general public to improve the safety on road and to give an opportunity to all stakeholders to contribute to the cause of road safety. During the week awareness about various causes of road accidents and measures to prevent them will be highlighted by organizing various activities with School / college students, drivers and all other road users. These activities include display of banners, road signage and pamphlets related to road safety. Various stakeholders such as different departments of State Governments, Traffic Police, Vehicle manufacturers, Transporters’ Association, PSUs, Corporate will participate in the events during the Road Safety Week.

As a part of Road Safety Week, the Ministry has also organized a ‘Walkathon’ from India Gate on 11th January, 2016 in association with Delhi Police and Society for Indian Automobile Manufactures (SIAM) to create awareness about road safety among general public and to solicit their active participation in the road safety movement.

In India, about 1.4 lakh persons are killed in road crashes every year while many more get injured and disabled for life. Youth in the age group of 15 to 24 years comprise 33% of the total fatalities. The Government is taking active steps for the implementation of National Road Safety Policy by improving the engineering of roads, improving enforcement, improving emergency care and taking up awareness campaigns for citizens. However, efforts of the Government alone will not suffice and there is a need for the citizens at large to join hands and make road safety a social movement.