New Delhi Road Safety Declaration Launched, To Accelerate Action Towards Road Fatalities

The New Delhi Road Safety Declaration was released in a bid to prevent road fatalities in India. The first-ever National Road Safety Confluence, hosted by Bharat Association of Road Safety Volunteers (BARS India), was held at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, and aligns with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021-2030). The declaration commits stakeholders to measurable, accountable action to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by at least 50 per cent by 2030. The long-term goal aims to achieve zero preventable road fatalities in India.

India Has The Highest Road Fatalities Globally

BARS India is an independent, science-driven institution that is working towards making Indian roads safer, and enforce accountability towards the different departments involved. The institution works on bringing together three core systems - Samaaj (civil society), Sarkaar (government) and Bazaar (corporate industry), to ensure effective road safety practices. WRI India has been announced as the knowledge partner.

Also Read: New Delhi Road Safety Declaration Targets 50% Reduction in Road Accident Deaths by 2030

India accounts for the highest road fatalities in the world, and recorded over 172,000 deaths in 2023 alone. Pedestrians, cyclists, gig-workers, two-wheeler riders, and rural communities remain the most affected in road-related accidents. Despite the urgency, India does not have an institution to co-ordinate and action movement on ground to create an impact. The New Delhi Road Safety Declaration aims to address this gap by adopting a safe system approach by placing human life at the centre.

5 Pillars of Action

The institution will be following five pillars of action under the New Delhi Road Safety Declaration.

1. Road Safety Management: Through stronger leadership across levels, open crash data, annual public reviews, dedicated funding, and enhanced enforcement.
2. Safer Vehicles & Fleets: Removing sub-standard components, addressing India-specific risks, promoting assist and alert technologies, and ensuring supply chains accountability.
3. Safer Road Users: Improving compliance on speed, helmet, and seat belt use; AI-enabled enforcement; and integrating safety into education, health, safety and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) systems.
4. Post-Crash Response: Building Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for mobility safety, and standardizing first-responder training, unified emergency access, trauma care integration and research-led improvements.
5. Safer Driving Environment: Scaling up people-first road design, speed management by design, protected facilities for vulnerable users, and ensuring zero tolerance for unsafe road infrastructure.

The inaugural session held at IIT Delhi saw Dr Mats-Ake Belin, Global Lead - Decade of Action for Road Safety, WHO. Speaking at the event, he said, “Road safety is now firmly on the global agenda, with strong political and media attention. Our responsibility is to move beyond awareness and ensure consistent, evidence-based implementation so that no country is left behind in preventing road traffic deaths.”

V Umashankar, Secretary (Road Transport & Highways), Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India said, “As a nation, we cannot accept road fatalities as inevitable. Each accident is personal, each loss preventable. Awareness is not enough — what we need is organised, district-level action, backed by certainty of enforcement and supported by strong institutions. When compliance becomes habit and accountability becomes certain, road safety will move from intention to impact.”

Speaking at the Confluence, Rama Shankar Pandey, Chairman – BARS, said, “Road safety is not merely a transport issue; it is a governance responsibility and a moral obligation. The New Delhi Declaration represents a shift from isolated initiatives to coordinated, accountable action at India scale.”

Platform To Foster Collaboration & Measurable Action

While BARS aims to make our roads safer, it is not an implementing agency, funding body, or a political entity. The institution recognises itself as a neutral platform, which aims to foster collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and implement measurable action. BARS is also a volunteer-based institution and included representatives from government ministries, WHO, and multilateral agencies. There are also members from NGOs, academia, industry bodies, domain experts, car and two-wheeler manufacturers, insurance, technology innovators, and youth groups.

The signatories commit to time-bound action plans, annual independent monitoring, strengthening district-level enforcement capacity, prioritising vulnerable road users, and aligning ESG and insurance frameworks.