Karnataka sees 33,000 road crashes a year, killing nearly 12,000 people

Bengaluru: The state transport department, in collaboration with the Bengaluru City Police, launched the Safethon 2025 at Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday.

The program aims to raise awareness about road safety, in light of India seeing maximum road crashes and fatalities. Transport and Muzrai minister Ramalinga Reddy, who addressed the gathering on the occasion, pointed out the goal to bring a 50 per cent reduction in road crashes by 2030 and requested the public’s cooperation in achieving this goal.

He noted that India records nearly 4.5 lakh road crashes, leading to over 1.5 lakh deaths yearly. “In Karnataka, nearly 33,000 road crashes occur, killing nearly 12,000 people and causing severe injuries to over 50,000 people every year. The responsibility to control this is on every road user and the government,” he said.

In this light, the Karnataka State Road Safety Authority has established automated driving testing tracks in 42 RTOs in the state and set up automated testing stations in all districts.

The department has also implemented vehicle location tracking devices and emergency buttons in public transport and has implemented the High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) for vehicles.

The state also has smart enforcement systems to monitor road traffic violations and to help the transport department issue e-challans, besides ensuring transport vehicles have retro reflective tape and rear marking plates.

The event included a motorcycle jatha, a cycle jatha and a run which saw the participation of B Dayananda, police commissioner, Bengaluru City, and senior officials from the transport and traffic departments. Popular Kannada actor Vijay Raghavendra was also present.