Rekha Gupta reiterated: “Accidents happen every minute, every hour - and it is not the vehicles but our behaviour that causes them. We must shed the mindset that breaking rules is a badge of pride. Stricter enforcement is vital, but real change will come only when we follow traffic rules for our own safety, not out of fear of penalties.”
She added, “Delhi is committed to cleaner, safer mobility. We aim for every third vehicle in the city to be electric and will achieve 100% public transport electrification by 2026. Together, with road safety and sustainable mobility, we can build a safer, greener future for Delhi.”
On this occasion, the Chief Minister launched SIAM’s SAFE Road Safety Context Paper, highlighting India’s readiness for safer roads along with a new initiative to engage college students on road safety.
During the inaugural session, Manjinder Singh Sirsa thanked SIAM for its initiatives. He said that a progressive country is one that advances in sustainability and moves toward net-zero goals, a vision also championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He highlighted the PM’s slogan, “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam”, which inspired global dignitaries to plant trees, and praised the Chief Minister for her efforts, noting a 40% reduction in Delhi’s garbage dumps since her tenure began.
Road safety needs collaboration between government, policymakers, industry and users. We're building a comprehensive accident database through EDAR, integrating it SARTHI for licensing, VAHAN for vehicle registration and PM Gati Shakti. Road safety can be truly enforced by bringing together the entire chain, from driver to database to court” – espoused Mahmood Ahmed, Additional Secretary, MoRTH. Similarly, Sanjay Bandopadhyaya, Member, Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, added: “Despite our target to halve accidents, cases rose drastically in 2023. Hence, we must adopt digital vehicle systems and strengthen electronic enforcement to curb recklessness. Safer roads and green energy can only be achieved if we combine them.”
“Delhi has cut accident fatalities by 8%, but we cannot stop here,” emphasised Ajay Chaudhry, IPS, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Delhi Police. He highlighted that the city still sees a very high number of challans for speeding and violations and called for even stricter penalties with zero leniency.
During the inaugural session, Sushant Naik, President, SAFE and Global Head of Government & Public Affairs, Tata Motors Ltd., implored: “Safety cannot be an afterthought, it must start from design and manufacturing and become a culture we live by. Over 1.73 lakh lives are lost each year, a stark reminder that action should be urgent and collective. Industry, government, and citizens must work together. Road safety cannot succeed without its 5Es-Education, Engineering, Emergency Care, Enforcement and Evaluation.”