India Moves to Cut Highway Accident Deaths With Faster Ambulance Network

Long-term and short-term measures are continuously being implemented to improve these areas. Meanwhile, the NHAI has mapped the entire national highway network and identified the most vulnerable points.

According to the authority's chairman, Santosh Yadav, there are 278 locations within 20 percent of the 80,000 kilometers, or approximately 16,000 kilometers, where 70 percent of accidents occur. Ironically, it takes 20 to 25 minutes for an ambulance to reach these locations, while the average ambulance response time is usually fifteen minutes.

Now, the NHAI has planned to first reduce the ambulance response time at these most vulnerable locations to ten minutes. Real-time monitoring is also being implemented. Just as the movement of app-based cabs can be monitored, passengers will be able to see where the ambulance has reached. Agencies involved in this system will also be able to see which ambulance is closest to the accident site.

A senior NHAI official stated that work is progressing rapidly to implement this plan. After reducing ambulance response times at these highly sensitive locations, work will be extended to other parts of the NH network to ensure the transportation of seriously injured people to hospitals during the golden hour.

The 16,000-kilometer stretch of the National Highway network, which has the highest accident rate, passes through 100 districts in 18 states. According to NHAI officials, Maharashtra has the largest share, with 19 districts falling within this scope.

Uttar Pradesh is in second place with 18 districts. Tamil Nadu is in third place, followed by Karnataka in fourth. Similarly, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Kerala are also included in this list.