PANAJI: As Goa witnesses over 350 road accidental deaths annually, the law enforcing agency has set a target to reduce road fatalities by 20% in 2025.
Addressing 8th UN Global Road Safety Week, Director General of Police Alok Kumar pointed out to the alarming scale of road accidents in India, wherein over 1.5 lakh people die in crashes annually, with the 20-40 age group being most affected.
He said that Goa’s statistics are equally concerning. "While 25-30 murders occur annually, the State sees over 350 road accident deaths on average every year, according to two decades of official records," he said.
The event ‘Empowering Traffic Wardens for Safety on Roads’, was jointly organised by the Goa Traffic Police, Directorate of Transport and GOACAN today.
Kumar emphasised that achieving this reduction will require a behavioural shift at the community level. “Behaviour change is the key if we want to reduce accidental deaths on roads,” Kumar said, while highlighting the urgent need to instil road discipline from a young age. “If we educate children about road behaviour early on, we won’t need to keep talking about it to adults in their 50s.”
Kumar also questioned why road safety still needs advocacy, likening reckless driving to ignoring medical care. “Why do we have to tell people to drive safely? You don’t have to remind a sick person to visit a hospital.”
The DGP also noted how strict licensing systems, stringent enforcement, and widespread surveillance contribute to lower accident rates in other countries. “Unless people are trained to behave properly on roads, they don’t get a licence there. If the community wants, we can make a change.”
Director of Transport, Pravimal Abhishek, echoed the sentiment, stressing the need for inter-departmental coordination. “Road safety is a shared responsibility, not just of the traffic police or the transport department, but also of electricity, health and other departments,” he said.
Abhishek also detailed the recently notified Road Safety Policy available in the official government gazette. A major highlight is the emphasis on technology, including vehicle certification automation and AI integration for traffic violation detection. “Most vehicle certifications are still manual. Under the new policy, this process must be fully automated with no human interference,” he added.
GOACAN convenor Roland Martins advocated for decentralised road safety efforts through local traffic management committees and stronger emergency response. “We have to reach out to accident victims on time and not lose the first hour, which is the golden hour in road accidents,” he said. Calling for more grassroots action, Martins added, “People in the locality should take initiative and step forward in suggesting signage boards, speed breakers, etc. Community involvement is crucial if we wish to ensure road safety.”
The event concluded with the felicitation of traffic wardens from across Goa who have played a vital role in promoting road safety at the grassroots level.
