Gadkari Blames Faulty Road Designs and Civil Mistakes for Rising Road Accidents in India

The Minister of Union Road Transport Nitin Gadkari has blamed faulty road designs, flawed detailed project reports (DPR) and civil engineering errors for the rise in the number of road accidents in India. Gadkari, at an event on Thursday, highlighted the importance of the road construction sector embracing new technologies and materials to make roads in the country safer through sustainable, recyclable materials.

Road accident fatalities in India were an astronomical 1,80,000 in 2023. Gadkari pointed out that road engineering and poor planning are major causes of such fatalities. He condemned the low-quality DPRs being prepared in the country and attributed its errors in planning and designing roads primarily to the engineers. “This kind of gives me a feeling that basically, the engineers are responsible for the road accidents increasing. So, the primary issue is the engineering of the road and faulty planning, and faulty DPRs,” he said.

The minister drew attention to road signages and marking systems in India, stating that they are inadequate and one should learn from this country like Spain, Austria and Switzerland which had better systems. In the next road construction phase he voiced the need to devise a road construction strategy that would promote road safety, advanced technologies and construction sustainably.

Challenging to meet considering that the state of roads is going to be fixed by just shutters up to 2030: the Road deaths target is to halve by 2030 according to him. Gadkari’s comments have highlighted the urgent need for reforms in road planning, design and construction.

Speaking at the event, International Road Federation (IRF) president emeritus K K Kapila also matched similar reservations. It stressed that safety in the design of roads, their construction and their continued management at all phases plays a vital role in realising the zero road fatality vision of the future.

His comments have prompted a wider conversation about accountability and the responsibility of engineers and planners for making the roads safer. As India makes progress in its ambitious infrastructure projects, figuring out ways to allay these concerns would be vital in making roads in the country safer for all.