Bloodbath on Indian Roads: Who Is to Blame?
By Shrikant Panda
Road accidents in India are rising at an alarming rate, and we generally place the responsibility on the rider for this horrible situation. However, every remedial measure adopted by the Central and State Governments has failed to effectively reduce these horrendous accidents. Now, experts believe that the way engineers design faulty Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) is the prime cause of the growing number of road accidents and deaths in India. Despite India ranking second in terms of road network size, it has earned the ill fame of recording the highest number of deaths in road accidents globally.
Nearly 1,80,000 people lost their lives in 2023 — meaning at least 500 people died on average every day. It is ironic that although faulty road design is a prime cause for the rising number of road accidents, no one draws attention to this major lacuna. As a result, those involved in project designing and implementation often escape legal punishment. Numerous fissures and flaws in roads are evident, and this is one of the reasons for the increasing accidents in the country. Blunders made by engineers and other officials, who neglect timely road repairs, lead to terrible accidents.
Paradoxically, in India, road network expansion has been accompanied by a surge in road accidents, leading to enormous economic, financial, and human losses that are beyond imagination.
As far as Odisha is concerned, the death rate is much higher than the national average. Between January 2024 and January 2025, there were 6,327 road accidents, resulting in 3,717 deaths and 3,401 severe injuries. Beyond merely checking helmets and controlling traffic, the government must hold accountable those involved in road designing and project implementation. Both the state and central governments are responsible for this devastating situation in the country. Meanwhile, opposition parties in India remain preoccupied with political theatrics, failing to raise this issue in any forum or offer constructive proposals to the government on remedial measures to save precious lives on Indian roads.
Road accidents are a serious problem in India, causing thousands of deaths and injuries every year. We urgently need to prioritize safety in road design, construction, and management. By making safety a core focus in every aspect of road development, we can move toward a future where road accidents become rare, ultimately aiming for zero fatalities.
