Chennai (Tamil Nadu): Highlighting that 1.5 lakhs people die due to road accidents every year in India, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday asserted that the government has decided to save lives by preventing at least 50 per cent road accidents by 2025.
Addressing Chennai Road Safety Program organised by the World Bank and Tamil Nadu government, the Union Minister said 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the victims of road accidents are poor people.
"India is number one in road accidents in the world... In India, we register 5 lakh accidents and 1.5 lakh deaths every year. 70 per cent of deaths belong to 18-45 years. According to data available to us, road accidents are more dangerous than COVID-19. This is the data that is available to us. 40 per cent of accidents take place on national highways," he said.
"We have decided to save lives by preventing at least 50 per cent road accidents by 2025," he added.
