Among all countries, India has the highest number of deaths due to road traffic-related accidents. Road accidents are the sixth leading cause of death in the country, and there were nearly 1,40,000 deaths from road accidents in 2012. Despite being a major public health issue that affects the most vulnerable and also the most productive sections of society, road safety has not received the attention it deserves. This paper discusses how the government has not recognised road safety as a key mobility, health, and equity issue, and has been slow in enacting legislation to establish the institutional mechanisms to promote it.
S Sundar (ssundar@teri.res.in) is with the Energy and Resources Institute and is also at TERI University, New Delhi. Akshima T Ghate (akshima@teri.res.in) is with the Centre for Research on Sustainable Urban Development and Transport Systems, The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi.
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