A car accident. Image for representation.
Credit: iStock Photo
For more than a decade, overspeeding has remained the leading cause of road accidents and fatalities in India. According to the Road Accidents in India 2023 report, overspeeding accounted for 68.4 per cent of the 3,28,727 road accidents and 68.07 per cent of the 1,17,682 fatalities. In 2023, an average of 13 people lost their lives every hour due to overspeeding.
Each year, when these reports are released, there is widespread hue and cry over fatalities caused by speeding and weak enforcement. However, no concrete action is taken to address the issue of overspeeding.
Enhanced penalties, intended as a deterrent for serious road traffic violations, have proved to be a total failure due to poor enforcement. Between 2020 and March 2023, traffic offences led to challans amounting to Rs 3,793 crore. Yet only Rs 269 crore was collected, a mere 7.1 per cent. In 2024, over eight crore challans worth Rs 12,000 crore were issued across India, but nearly Rs 9,000 crore — a staggering 75 per cent — remains unpaid. Overspeeding alone accounted for 50 per cent of all challans issued.
Drivers believe they can flout traffic rules and get away without paying penalties, reinforcing a culture of non‑compliance among motorists and vehicle owners. Though several measures have been proposed to improve challan collection, it is difficult to believe that states will enforce them sincerely or muster the political will to act.
Since road safety education has little impact on actual driving behaviour, limiting maximum speed and introducing physical measures that prevent vehicles from exceeding speed limits are the only effective solutions in India. The cornerstones of the safe system approach to road safety, which aims to ensure a secure transport system for all road users, are safe speeds, safe roads and roadsides, safe vehicles, and safe road users.
Together, they eliminate fatal crashes and reduce serious injuries.
Overspeeding significantly reduces driver control and greatly increases the likelihood of accidents and fatalities. Every 1 per cent increase in mean speed results in a 4 per cent rise in fatal crash risk and a 3 per cent rise in serious crash risk. For pedestrians, the risk of death when struck by the front of a car rises sharply — by 4.5 times — when speed increases from 50 km/h to 65 km/h.
Design to slow down
Traffic calming and speed management techniques include installing physical speed‑reducing measures such as narrowing roads and intersections, raised zebra crossings, speed bumps at traffic lights, roundabouts and road humps to slow down vehicles. Such measures need to be introduced across the country on an urgent basis.
In April 2018, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways fixed the maximum speed limit at 120 km/h on expressways and 100 km/h on national highways. State and local governments have the option to fix lower speed limits than those set by the Union Ministry. Though most states have notified speed limits based on road type and vehicle category, adherence has been poor. Considering road conditions and population density, even the currently prescribed higher limits are dangerously high.
Currently, there are no uniform, data‑driven scientific guidelines for determining road speed limits. Speed limits are often set arbitrarily or based on subjective judgement.
In September 2021, the Madras High Court invalidated the 2018 notification issued by the central government, which had fixed speed limits at 120 km/h on expressways, 100 km/h on national highways, and 70 km/h for M1 category vehicles.
The HC observed that overspeeding is a primary cause of accidents, resulting in numerous fatalities. Despite being aware of this fact, the government had raised speed limits for various reasons, which contributed to an increase in deaths. Consequently, the court nullified the notification. The court’s observations and decision are both valid and critical.
Unfortunately, in a ruling delivered on November 30, 2024, the Supreme Court reversed the order, saying, “The courts cannot reduce the speed limit for vehicles on roads, national highways and expressways. We can’t slow down the country.” Since speeding continues to be the major cause of road fatalities, the SC needs to re‑examine and review this order on maximum speed limits.
As the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2025 was observed on November 16 (the third Sunday of November) under the theme ‘Lost Talents’, let us take concrete action to prevent future fatalities and safeguard the lives of our young talents.
(The writer is Executive Director, Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development India)
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.