Page 7 - The Insurance Times January 2025

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India Records Highest Road Accident Deaths in 2023, to a massive fire, destroying 40 ve-
hicles. Mohanlal, who had recently
Pedestrians and Two-Wheeler Riders Most Affected dropped off relatives at the site, rushed
back to search for his nephew and an-
In 2023, India saw a record number of road fatalities, with over 1.72 lakh
other family member. Both survived
deaths reported, marking a grim milestone in traffic-related casualties. Union
Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari revealed that pedestrians accounted and are being treated at Sawai Man
for one in five deaths, while two-wheeler riders made up 45% of fatalities. Singh Hospital in Jaipur. Officials are
Speaking at an event in Lucknow, Gadkari highlighted alarming trends, in- investigating the collision and subse-
quent blaze, which has left several in-
cluding nearly 10,000 fatalities involving individuals under 18 and around
35,000 accidents in institutional areas near schools and colleges. jured and caused significant damage.
Key factors contributing to these deaths included non-use of helmets (54,000
fatalities), lack of seatbelt usage (16,000 deaths), and vehicle overloading Navy Chief Reviews Safety
(12,000 deaths). Uttar Pradesh reported the highest casualties, with 23,650 After Gateway of India
deaths, including 10,000 involving pedestrians and two-wheelers, and 8,726
attributed to speeding. The need for stringent road safety measures remains Collision
urgent. Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi reviewed
safety protocols following a collision
between a naval speedboat and the
Road Fatalities Surge Amid Gadkari revealed that 30,000 deaths ferry Neel Kamal near the Gateway of
annually occur due to non-use of hel-
Lack of Law Enforcement: mets, and despite increased penalties, India. The accident, which killed 14

Gadkari compliance remains poor. With over people and left a child missing, raised
concerns about conducting naval trials
1.68 lakh road deaths this year, he
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari high- in busy harbor areas. The Navy's board
urged collective action from public
lighted in Parliament that road fatali- of inquiry, led by a commodore, is in-
ties in India have risen due to a lack of representatives, media, and society, vestigating the incident, which in-
warning that stricter rules alone won't
respect and fear for traffic laws. Ad- volved over 100 passengers. Rescue
suffice without societal cooperation.
dressing the issue during Question teams continue searching for the miss-
Hour, Gadkari, who survived a severe Jaipur Highway Explosion ing boy, while families of victims ex-
road accident himself, emphasized that Claims 12 Lives, 40 Ve- press concerns over financial security.
efforts to curb fatalities have been
hampered by lax enforcement and hicles Destroyed State Orders Accident Au-
public indifference. He identified four A devastating explosion on the Jaipur- dit to Devise Road Safety
pillars for reducing accidents: road Ajmer highway claimed 12 lives after
engineering, automobile safety, law a truck collided with an LPG tanker Measures
enforcement, and public education. while making a U-turn. The incident led The state health department has

The Insurance Times January 2025 7