India Wins Decade of Action Road Safety Award For Vehicle Safety Reforms

New Delhi: The Indian government has been presented the prestigious Prince Michael Decade of Action Road Safety Award for its efforts in enhancing vehicle safety over the past decade.

India’s key achievements include implementing a new car safety assessment system and making ABS (anti-lock braking system) mandatory for all new two-wheelers.

The awards were presented at the 4th Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Morocco’s Marrakech, where leaders from several countries gathered to plan ways to reduce road fatalities by 50% by 2030.

Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Ajay Tamta received the award from Etienne Krug of the World Health Organization.

“Following the first independent crash test ratings of Indian cars in 2014, the road transport and highways ministry announced a new framework of vehicle safety standards,” Krug said.

In 2018, the Road Transport and Highways ministry laid out a plan to introduce top safety standards for vehicles, aiming to match European norms by 2023.

While significant progress has been made, a major challenge remains — high number of fatalities among pedestrians and two-wheeler riders, unlike in developed countries. In 2023, India recorded 1.73 lakh road deaths.

In 2018, the Indian government received ‘an innovation award’ from Global NCAP.