Lok Sabha Question No. 3042 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-07
Subject: Safety and Quality Standards
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Shri Tejasvi Surya

be pleased to state:

- (a)      the  highway  statistics  on  serious  accidents,  fatality  rates  and black spots identified on completed Bharatmala and Golden Quadrilateral segments from the year 2023 to 2025; (b)    the status of maintenance schedule compliance and the penalties levied or proposed to be levied on contractors not meeting safety and quality standards; and (c)      the  new  policies  adopted  for  integrating  highway  ambulance services  and  real-time  hazard  warning  systems  on  accident-prone
- stretches?

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3042 ANSWERED ON 7 TH  AUGUST, 2025

## SAFETY AND QUALITY STANDARDS

3042.         SHRI TEJASVI SURYA:

## Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

- (a)      Electronic  Detailed  Accident  Report  (eDAR)  portal  acts  as  a central  repository  for  reporting,  management  and  analysis  of  road accidents data across the country. As per data entered by States/ UTs on the portal, total number of road accidents and fatalities on National Highways  in  the  country  during  the  period  from  2023  to  2025  (upto June, 2025) is as under -

| Year                   | No. of accidents on all NHs   | No. of fatalities on all NHs   |
|------------------------|-------------------------------|--------------------------------|
| 2023                   | 1,23,955                      | 53,630                         |
| 2024                   | 1,25,873                      | 53,090                         |
| 2025 (upto June, 2025) | 67,933                        | 29,018                         |

The  Government  identifies  black  spots  based  on  road  accident  data received  from  States  and  Union  Territories  (UTs).  A  black  spot  is defined as a stretch of NH of approximately 500 meters where either:

-  Five or  more  road  accidents  involving  fatalities  or  grievous injuries have occurred over the last three calendar years (combined),  or  ten  or  more  fatalities  have  occurred  during  the same period.

Government undertakes both short-term and long-term remedial measures based on site-specific requirements.

-  Short-term measures include road markings, signage installation, crash barriers,  raised  pavement markers, delineators, closure of median openings, and traffic calming interventions.
-  Long-term  measures  involve  geometric  improvements,  junction redesign,  spot  widening  of  carriageways,  and  construction  of underpasses or overpasses.

A total of 13,795 black spots have been identified on NHs for the series of 2016-2018, 2017-2019, 2018-2020, 2019-2021 and 2020-2022.

- (b)   Sub-section  (1)  of  Section  198A  of  the  Motor  Vehicles  Act,  1988 provides for any designated authority, contractor, consultant or concessionaire responsible for the design or construction or maintenance of the safety standards of the road to follow such design, construction and maintenance standards, as may be prescribed by the Central Government from time to time.

Indian Roads Congress (IRC) formulates Standards, Guidelines, Manuals,  etc.  for  all  aspects  of  highway  building  and  maintenance, including road safety.  Government also issues policy circulars on road safety engineering issues pertaining to National Highways (NHs).  Such Standards, Guidelines, Manuals of IRC and policy circulars are applicable and binding on all NHS.

Design and drawings prepared by the contractor/ concessionaire for NH project  is  vetted  by  Road  Safety  Auditor.  Contractor/concessionaire prepares traffic management plan for the construction period to ensure safety of traffic and construction workers. Before issue of Completion Certificate, safety audit is carried out to ascertain the safety requirements  of  the  projects.  In  the  contracts,  there  are  adequate provisions to address the lapses by either contractor/ concessionaire or authority's engineer/ independent engineer.

- (c)     The  Government has taken various initiatives for the emergency services at accident sites which, inter-alia, include:
- i. Integrated Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) is designed  with  a  single  emergency  number  112,  to  address different emergencies of citizens.
- ii. Provision  for  free  passage  to  emergency  vehicles,  such  as  an ambulance or fire service vehicle, etc. (Section 194E of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988).
- iii. Protection of Good Samaritans who provide emergency medical or non-medical  assistance  to  victims  of  motor  vehicle  accidents (Section 134A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988).
- iv. Provision  for  First-aid  kit  in  all  vehicles.  (Rule  138(4)  of  the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989)
- v. Sanction of 196 -Trauma Care Facilities in Government Hospitals/Medical  Colleges  across  the  Country  under  "National programme  for  Prevention  &  Management  of  Trauma  and  Burn injuries" by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
- vi. Emergency helpline number 1033 is operated by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
- vii. Provision for Patrolling Vehicles, Ambulances, Tow-away cranes, etc. in the model concession agreement.
- viii. The National Highways Authority of India has made provisions for ambulances with paramedical staff/Emergency Medical Technician/Nurse  at  toll  plazas  on  the  completed  corridors  of National Highways.

In new NH projects on high density and high speed corridors of NHAI, installation of ATMS is generally a part of the project.  Further, ATMS is also implemented  as standalone projects in already constructed important corridors. ATMS has provisions for various electronic enforcement devices which help in speedy identification of incidents on the  highway  stretches  and  effectively  monitor  the  highways,  thereby improving the response time of the on-site assistance.

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