Context: The Uttar Pradesh government has unveiled a comprehensive Vision-2030 Road Safety Action Plan with the objective of cutting road accident fatalities by half by 2030, in light of the state’s position as having the highest number of road accident deaths in the country.
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- This initiative comes in response to directives issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), in accordance with Section 136(A) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and Rule 167(A) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
- The roadmap establishes an annual target to reduce fatalities by 10% starting in 2025, using 2024 as the baseline year, with the ultimate goal of halving total road accident deaths by 2030.
- Six states—Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu—are responsible for nearly half of India’s total traffic fatalities.
- In 2024, Uttar Pradesh recorded 24,118 road accident fatalities, marking a 2% increase compared to 2023.
- Nearly 40% of the victims died before receiving medical assistance, with 37% of fatal crashes attributed to speeding, 12% to drunk driving, and 8% to distracted driving such as mobile phone use; children accounted for 8% of fatalities and 31% of serious injuries.
- The transport department’s action plan, developed with stakeholder input, will be sent to MoRTH after state approval and is based on a data-driven 5-E strategy: Engineering, Enforcement, Emergency Care, Education, and Environment.
- The key measures involve setting up empowered road safety committees in every district, creating a state-level Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), implementing AI-based traffic management systems, enhancing CCTV surveillance, and integrating databases such as Vahan and Sarathi.
Vision 2030
- Under Vision 2030, the state will implement a year-by-year action plan from this year through 2030 to revamp road safety governance and enforcement.
- District transport officers will provide inputs for the final plan, which aims to strengthen enforcement mechanisms through enhanced coordination among key departments, including police, traffic, transport, PWD, and health.
- The plan places special emphasis on addressing accident-prone black spots, enhancing emergency response systems, and expanding the capacity of trauma care facilities.
- The state intends to upgrade driver training and licensing systems, incorporate road safety audits into standard procedures, and conduct community-focused awareness campaigns, particularly aimed at school children and pedestrians.
- To ensure the long-term sustainability of these initiatives beyond 2030, a State Road Safety Authority will be established to institutionalize these efforts.
- The multi-pronged strategy emphasizes the need for seamless collaboration between government departments, local authorities, NGOs, and private stakeholders to enhance road safety and safeguard the people.
- The plan outlines substantial infrastructure improvements across five phases:
- Phase 1 (2025-26): Establishing foundational systems and emergency response protocols
- Phase 2 (2026-27): Major highway safety upgrades and technology integration
- Phase 3 (2027-28): Expansion to district and rural road networks
- Phase 4 (2028-29): Implementation of advanced safety features and automation systems
- Phase 5 (2029-30): Full system integration and performance optimization
- Digital Infrastructure Expansion
- Speed cameras will be installed on all major state highways by 2026, alongside automated traffic violation systems.
- AI-powered traffic management systems and GPS tracking will be implemented across key highways.
- Electronic toll collection systems with real-time vehicle monitoring will be introduced.