Almost 27,000 fatalities on national highways in H1 2025
What's the story
The first half of 2025 witnessed a staggering loss of life on India's national highways, with as many as 26,770 fatalities due to road accidents. This alarming trend follows the previous year's record of 52,609 fatal accidents on these routes. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has since taken action by installing Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) along high-density corridors.
Safety measures
ATMS to improve highway safety
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, emphasized the importance of ATMS in improving highway safety. He said these systems come with electronic enforcement devices that help quickly identify incidents on highway stretches and monitor them effectively. This, he added, significantly improves response times for on-site assistance during accidents.
Project implementation
System being implemented as standalone project
Gadkari also revealed that the installation of ATMS is a standard practice for new projects on high-density and high-speed corridors of NHAI. The system is also being implemented as a standalone project in already constructed important corridors. This move is part of the government's efforts to enhance road safety measures across the country.
Safety audits
Road safety audits carried out for 1.12L kilometers
Responding to another question, Gadkari said that road safety audits have been carried out for a whopping 1,12,561km of national highways over the last three years. The move is aimed at making India's road network safer for all users.