UN Launches Road Safety Project in Four Indian States
Context:
Recently, The United Nations, under the UN Road Safety Fund (UNRSF), has launched a road safety initiative in India covering Rajasthan, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The project strengthens institutional capacity, promotes sustainable financing, improves data use, and supports targeted interventions.
About India’s Road Safety Crisis:
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- India accounts for ~11% of global road deaths despite having only ~1% of the world’s vehicles.
- 2023: ~4.80 lakh accidents; ~1.72 lakh fatalities.
- 2024: ~1.77 lakh fatalities; speeding a major cause.
- 67% of deaths occur in the 18–45 age group.
- 2023: ~4.80 lakh accidents; ~1.72 lakh fatalities.
- Road crashes cost 3–5% of GDP annually.
- Two-wheeler riders, pedestrians and cyclists are most vulnerable.
- These figures underline road accidents as a public health emergency.
- India accounts for ~11% of global road deaths despite having only ~1% of the world’s vehicles.
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UN’s Road Safety Initiative in India:
The UN’s road safety project in India is part of the wider #MakeASafetyStatement campaign, aligned with the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030), which seeks to halve global road accident deaths and injuries by 2030. The campaign promotes simple safety measures — such as wearing helmets and seat belts, adhering to speed limits, avoiding phone use while driving, and respecting vulnerable road users — through digital billboards, posters in major cities and social media outreach.
Significance for India:
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- Public Health and Economic Impact: India’s high rate of road traffic deaths affects families, communities and national productivity. These losses also impose significant economic costs through healthcare expenses and lost labour output.
- Collaborative Action: The UN-backed initiative complements India’s existing road safety policies and legislative frameworks, encouraging multi-sectoral partnerships between government, civil society and international agencies.
- Behavioural Change: By amplifying public safety messages through influential figures and mass media, the project seeks to drive long-term behaviour change that can reduce common risk factors such as speed violations, impaired driving and lack of protective gear use.
- Public Health and Economic Impact: India’s high rate of road traffic deaths affects families, communities and national productivity. These losses also impose significant economic costs through healthcare expenses and lost labour output.
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Policy Implications for India:
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- Road safety is both a policy priority and an implementation challenge in India. Key strategic frameworks at the national level include:
- National Road Safety Policy,
- Enforcement of the Motor Vehicles Act and Rules,
- Engineering standards for safer infrastructure, and
- Public awareness initiatives.
- National Road Safety Policy,
- The UN project complements domestic efforts and introduces global best practices into India’s context, especially in data management, financing mechanisms and post-crash care systems.
- Road safety is both a policy priority and an implementation challenge in India. Key strategic frameworks at the national level include:
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UN Road Safety Fund (UNRSF):
The UN Road Safety Fund (UNRSF), established in 2018 and based in New York, is a multi-partner trust fund aimed at reducing global road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Conclusion:
The UN’s road safety project in India represents a focused effort to reduce the country’s high road accident burden through global best practices, stronger institutions, and state-level interventions. It reinforces the role of international cooperation in achieving national and global road safety targets.
