Sadak Suraksha Abhiyan: Why is the Initiative Important & How the Govt Plans to Improve Road Safety?

The ‘Sadak Suraksha Abhiyaan’, a public service awareness campaign, launched to raise awareness around road safety and reduce the number of preventable accidents is back for its second season.

This year, the campaign focuses on cultivating empathy behind the wheel, aiming to produce positive behaviour changes by sensitising citizens to the value of every life and rewarding safe driving practices to create a culture of respect and responsibility on roads.

The initiative culminates a grand Telethon featuring renowned celebrities, experts, and key opinion leaders from different fields and parts of the country.

During the lauch of the campaign, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari emphasised helping people who have been in a road accident saying “if we don’t help others, no one will help us.” He added that efforts are being done to raise road safety awareness and change is happening. The Telethon is being broadcast live exclusively on CNN News18 and its digital platforms.

When was it launched?

The “Sadak Suraksha Abhiyan” initiative was launched in January last year to raise awareness on the importance of road safety.

As part of the campaign, a four-hour telethon was televised on January 14, 2023 on Network18 channels including News18 India and CNN-News18.

What are the objectives of the Campaign?

The initiative will focus on fostering empathy on the roads by sensitizing the citizens of India to the value of human lives and encouraging a shift in behaviour.

The campaign encapsulates the essence of “Samvedana Ka Safar” by uncovering the four pillars that guide responsible behaviour on the roads:

• Respect: The importance of recognising the sanctity of human life and voluntarily choosing to help save it.
• Patience: The necessity of being patient and adhering to traffic rules, driving within limits. It also advocates for prioritising safety over impulsive actions.
• Safety: The need of the hour is to choose safety by adopting new technologies and initiatives that are introduced to make our roads safe and secure public spaces.
• Collaboration: The absolute necessity of collaboration and cooperation among the common man, civil society, and the government to ensure the all-around improvement of road safety in the country.

Who are the Campaign Ambassadors?

The Grand telethon of Sadak Suraksha Abhiyaan 2024 brings together leaders, experts, celebrities and various eminent dignitaries all converging on one platform, to encourage responsible behaviour for Road Safety.

The key speakers at the telethon include Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari; philanthropist and actor Amitabh Bachchan; writer and social contributor Prasoon Joshi; author, philanthropist, and social worker Sudha Murty; Actor and social initiator R Madhavan, and actor and environmental advocate Pankaj Tripathi.

Why is the campaign necessary?

Initiatives like the ‘Sadak Suraksha Abhiyaan’ plays a crucial role in educating the public, advocating responsible behaviour, and collectively working towards a safer and more secure road environment.

Though India boasts the world’s second-largest road network, covering an impressive 63.73 lakh kilometres, the country witnessed around 53 accidents and 19 deaths per hour, as per the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways report.

The ministry’s latest Road Accidents Report states that there were 1,263 accidents and 461 deaths everyday in India. It also said that there was a total of 4,61,312 road accidents, which claimed 1,68,491 lives, while 4,43,366 people were injured in 2022.

The report also stated 11.9% rise in accidents and a 9.4% increase in fatalities. Out of the total fatalities, most of the accidents were reported on National Highways (36%), followed by State Highways 24.3% and around 39.4% on other roads.

How the Govt Plans to Reduce Road Accidents?

The government is working on a series of reforms including tougher laws, better road engineering and enforcing safety rules.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has reiterated that road safety is top-most priority and said that the government is aiming to reduce accident rates by 50% by 2030. He further urged the industry and government to collaborate on solutions to prevent road accidents.

The government is also continuously identifying black spots to ensure safer roads. “The basic requirement that needs to be done is auto wire and highway engineering, which we have been doing,” Gadkari reportedly said.

The government has also made stricter laws including amendments to The Motor Vehicles Act to impose heavy fines for violating traffic rules.

Gadkari has also stressed on regular eye check-ups for drivers and asked the corporate sector to organise free camps as part of their corporate social responsibility. He also encouraged education and awareness among schools, colleges, collaboration with NGOs, start-ups, universities and traffic and highway authorities to spread good practices for road safety.