Advocacy for safer roads: India urged to curb SUV purchases, avoiding the U.S. trend for improved road safety

SUV trend a considerable threat.

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India, a nation grappling with one of the highest rates of fatal road accidents, finds itself at a crossroads as the demand for Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) continues to soar. A stark call for caution echoes through road safety advocates and global organisations, urging India to reconsider the path the United States has taken, where an influx of SUVS has raised concerns about road safety for car occupants, pedestrians, and cyclists. At the forefront of this discourse is David Ward, the Executive President of the Global New Car Assessment AB MEDED YOUT LIFE & RIFT Programme (Global NCAP). Speaking at the three-day "Global Road Safety Initiative," organised by the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) in collaboration with the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Government of India, and in association with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Ward emphasised the imperative for India to learn from global studies. Recent international studies have shed light on the alarming consequences of the automotive industry's