The most important point made by Nitin Gadkari who was speaking at NDTV's Road Safety campaign in Mumbai, was that you don't need to be rich to be safe in your car.
More than 1.4 lakh people lose their lives every year in car accidents in India every year and yes, we know something desperately needs to be done - that was the message of the Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, who says the new Road Safety and Transport Bill, which is pending in Parliament will bring an end to the horrific annual carnage on our roads.
In an interview to NDTV, Mr Gadkari said, "I know 1.4 lakh people die every year. I will change that."
Perhaps the most important point made by Mr Gadkari who was speaking at NDTV's Road Safety campaign in Mumbai, was that you don't need to be rich to be safe in your car. According to Nitin Gadkari there will now be air bags in cars across segments.
"I have signed the file. Be it an economy car or a luxury car, airbags are mandatory. We are taking a lot of preventive measures on how to save the lives of people. We have taken a decision on ABS too," Mr Gadkari said.
And it's not just that, there are several new moves - like introduction of air conditioners in the cabins of trucks to ensure that truck drivers have better work conditions.
"We are making it mandatory that there should be air conditioners in the cabin of trucks. For a person working 12-15 hours, if the air conditioning is there, his energy will be increased," Mr Gadkari said.
What's more, Mr Gadkari, who hopes to pass the Bill in the next session of Parliament says car manufacturers who export cars from India cannot have double standards.
"We export over 1.5 lakh cars from India. India is becoming an automobile hub. Unfortunately, Euro 6 engines are being manufactured here for exports, but in the India scenario, they (car manufacturers) are asking me for more time. I cannot appreciate this," he said.
At the end of the day, road safety remains a national challenge. The annual cost or road accidents is 3 per cent of our GDP. Consider this - 10,253 people lost their lives in wars India has waged since 1948. The number of people who have lost their lives on our roads is 14 times that.