For Immediate Release
Madurai, 27th August 2026
India has seen a consistent rise in road crash fatalities, driven by expanding road networks and faster vehicles. There has been a constant upward trend since 2005, with the road crash fatalities increasing by 2.5% in 2024 compared to 2023. Tamil Nadu has recorded the highest number of road crashes (67,526 in 2024) in India for seven consecutive years in 2024. Madurai District alone accounted for 2660 road crashes and 890 road crash fatalities in the year 2023.
While Tamil Nadu was an early adopter of a Road Safety Policy in 2007 (even ahead of the National Road Safety Policy in 2010), an updated and structured State Road Safety Action Plan is critical to achieving the national goal of reducing road crash deaths by 50% by 2030.
To highlight the need for a robust State Road Safety Action Plan that would translate into actionable district plans and to address the tragedy of the lives and livelihoods lost on our roads, Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG), Chennai hosted a multi-stakeholder workshop in collaboration with Women Consumer Protection Association, at the Hotel Royal Court in Madurai on the 27th of August, 2026.
The Welcome Address was provided by Dr. C. Packiyalakshmi, founder and M.D of Women Consumer Protection Association and member of District Consumer Redressal Commission. Ms. Kavipriya E, (Researcher) from CAG presented about the current road safety scenario in India, Tamil Nadu and Madurai specifically. She explained the reasons for the occurrence of a high number of road crashes and road crash fatalities in Tamil Nadu. Ms. Nina Subramani (Senior Researcher) from CAG presented the need for a State Road Safety Plan which would serve as a strong institutional framework. She examined Road Safety Action Plans in other States and closely examined speed as the cause of more than 70% of road crashes and fatalities.
Adopting a safe systems approach, making data-driven decisions, and setting achievable targets as essential aspects of a Road Safety Action Plan was acknowledged by all speakers.
The Inaugural Address was provided by Ms. Chitra - Regional Transport Officer (Madurai North) where she shared her experiences of working with the Regional Transport Office and how witnessing her first crash in office with 12 fatalities was personally traumatic. Speaking about instances specific to Madurai, she explained how heavy cell-phone usage while driving, lack of helmet strap usage and the free shawls and sarees of women are human errors that contribute heavily to road crashes. She spoke about how her office (RTO - Madurai North) is experimenting with automatic testing tracks to standardise licensing processes compared to the existing manual format”
“A road crash doesn’t affect one person, but an entire family. They might have been the earning member of the family. Weddings and education might have been called off because of a single road crash”. - Ms. Chitra - Regional Transport Officer (Madurai North).
Dr. S. Selva, Assistant Professor of Emergency, Government Rajaji Hospital, delivered the special address where he differentiated between morbidity and mortality, expanding on the latter. He stated that more than 80% of cases lead to grievous injuries and that minor injuries are a minority. He also emphasised the importance of action within the Golden Hour.
“More than 1000 cases every month just from RTI are brought into the level 1 trauma care facility at Government Rajaji Hospital. 95 fatalities every month translates to 9 fatalities per 100 cases in just one hospital”.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Ms. S. Vanitha spoke about the importance of District Conferences such as the one conducted by CAG to spread awareness about road safety. She explained in detail the post-crash procedures that the Police Department follows and how road crash fatalities lead to the loss not only of life but of dreams and the life that people envision for themselves. She concluded the address by emphasizing how more than 70% of road crash cases in Madurai are due to drunk and driving in her experience.
“There are 1700 road crashes in Madurai in just one year. Speeding easily leads to the loss of control even in the presence of a helmet. We see roads as spaces only meant for ourselves and not for everybody. That mentality needs to change. We must move towards a zero fatality Nation”- Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Ms. S. Vanitha
The event brought together representatives from key government departments, enforcement agencies, the health and education sectors, transport authorities, civil society organisations, resident welfare associations and members of the general public.
The discussion reinforced that preventing road crashes requires coordinated action across sectors and sustained commitment at the district level. Designing and implementing a State Road Safety Action Plan will provide a roadmap for evidence-based interventions, stronger institutional coordination, and measurable targets. This overarching plan would also enable Madurai to make meaningful progress towards safer roads and contribute to Tamil Nadu's and India's road safety goals.
About CAG
Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) is a forty-year-old non-profit, non-political and professional organisation that works towards protecting citizens' rights in consumer and environmental issues and promoting good governance processes, including transparency, accountability and participatory decision-making.
Press queries may be addressed to Nina S, Senior Researcher, Road Safety & Sustainable Mobility, CAG | 8754415824 | nina.subramani@cag.org.in