In Brief
A public-interest petition by an orthopaedic surgeon sought enforcement of road safety norms to address over 100,000 annual deaths from road accidents in India. The Supreme Court constituted a Committee on Road Safety under Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan, which submitted 12 reports. The Court held that State and Central Governments must implement comprehensive measures: establish State Safety Policies, Councils, and Lead Agencies; conduct road safety audits; improve road engineering and traffic calming; mandate driver training and licensing renewal; require vehicle safety features; establish trauma care centres in every district; and strengthen accident reporting systems. The Court stressed that 90% of accidents result from non-enforcement of safety rules and directed time-bound compliance with all recommendations to save thousands of lives."
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