“When I go to attend international conferences where there is a discussion on road accidents, I try to hide my face,” Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday, underlining he had set a target to reduce accidents by 50 per cent when he first took charge as the Road Transport and Highways Minister.During a discussion on road accidents in Lok Sabha on Thursday, Gadkari said, “Forget about reducing the number of accidents, I have no hesitation to admit that it has been increased. When I go to attend international conferences where there is a discussion on road accidents, I try to hide my face.”
He was replying to a supplementary during the Question Hour.
The minister said that for things to improve human behavior in India has to change, society has to change and rule of law has to be respected.
Gadkari said he and his family met with a major accident some years ago and he needed to be hospitalised for a long time. “By the grace of God, I and my family were saved. So I have my personal experience of accidents.”
He said parking of trucks on road is a major cause for accidents and many of the trucks don’t follow lane discipline.
He said he has ordered for following international standards in making bus body in India. There has to be a hammer near a bus window so that it can be broken easily in case of accidents, he said.
Earlier, Gadkari said road accidents claim 1.78 lakh lives annually in the country and 60 per cent of the victims are in the age group of 18-34 years.