Safer roads a vital concern for India

Despite major advancements in the road infratech sector, road congestion, safety concerns, climate resilience, and technological integration remain key challenges. India needs to work on finding and developing innovative solutions, best practices, and policies to transform its roads for the future.

- KK KAPILA

Despite major advances in the road infratech sector, the country still stands at the crossroads of safety, sustainability, and innovation. We must therefore reaffirm our commitment to building safe, efficient, and sustainable roads.

Every year, over 1.7 lakh lives are lost on Indian roads, a crisis that demands urgent intervention. While global road fatalities have declined by 5 per cent, India has seen a 10 per cent rise, underscoring the need for technology-driven, policy-backed, and infrastructure-led interventions.

As India progresses towards becoming a $5 trillion economy, infrastructure plays a pivotal role in enabling economic growth, connectivity, and road safety.

For smart and sustainable infrastructure development, green highways and resilient road designs are needed with help of climate-adaptive materials and low-carbon technologies. Circular economy principles include promotion of Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse in road construction for sustainability.

For technology-driven road infrastructure, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) are needed to enhance efficiency with Al-based traffic management, IoT-enabled road monitoring, and digital twins. Integration of EV-ready corridors and charging infrastructure to support sustainable mobility is also necessary.