Date: 27th August
Venue: Hotel Royal Court, Madurai
Time: 10:20 am to 1:30 pm
Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) in collaboration with Women Consumer Protection Association (WCPA) organised a District Road Safety Conference bringing together relevant stakeholders from Madurai’s Regional Transport Office, Commissionerate of Police, Traffic, educators in healthcare, consumer protection organisations, media and civil society organisations to highlight the need for a comprehensive State Road Safety Action Plan. The Conference took place on the 27th of August 2026 at Hotel Royal Court, Madurai.
Tamil Nadu has consistently ranked number 1 in the list of states with the most number of road crashes for the past 6 years. Madurai District alone accounted for 2260 road crashes and 890 road crash fatalities in the year 2023. This is a worrying statistic especially given that Tamil Nadu was the first state to adopt a Road Safety Policy in 2007, 3 years ahead of the National Road Safety Policy. However, while States like Kerala and Gujarat have implemented their Road Safety Action Plan, Tamil Nadu still has not done so and lags behind with 19 of the 100 Districts that account for the most number of road crashes in the country.
There is therefore an urgency to establish a Road Safety Action Plan that can convert the state’s Road Safety Policy into reality. Awareness among district policy makers, and collaborative efforts between the different districts is crucial for the implementation of a successful State Road Safety Action Plan and this conference was a step in that direction.
Ms. R. Chitra (Regional Transport Officer - Madurai North) delivering the Inaugural Address
Dr. C. Packialakshmi, who is both the Founder and M.D of Women Consumer Protection Association as well as Member of District Consumer Redressal Commission delivered the Welcome Address.
Ms. Kavipriya, Researcher in the Sustainable Mobility and Road Safety Team at CAG then set the context for the conference by explaining the current state of road safety in Madurai, Tamil Nadu along with an overview of road safety in India as well. She emphasised speed as the cause for more than 70% of road crashes and fatalities.
Ms. Nina, Senior Researcher in the Sustainable Mobility and Road Safety Team at CAG explained what a State Road Safety Action Plan is and how it provides an overarching, systematic plan for co-ordination, implementation and enforcement for all concerned departments, thus creating a time-defined, goal oriented, procedural roadmap for road safety in the country.
Ms Kavipriya, Researcher, CAG addressing the audience
The Regional Transport Officer of Madurai North Ms. R. Chitra delivered the inaugural address, especially talking about risk factors specific to Madurai including the prevalent usage of cell-phone while driving, not fastening helmets with the chin strap, and flowing garments that could become entrapped in vehicles. She expounded on the importance of a fair Driving License Testing process and mentioned that her office is experimenting with automatic testing tracks to standardise the licensing processes. She added automatic testing could potentially avoid the gaps caused by manual testing and hoped that automatic testing would be implemented in more districts soon.
Dr. Selva, Assistant Professor of Emergency at Government Rajaji Hospital during his special address gave insights into the latest data about emergency care and road crashes. He mentioned how more than a 1000 cases are brought into the level 1 trauma care facility at Government Rajaji Hospital every month, out of which 9 out of 100 cases end in fatality, pointing to an average fatality rate of 9% in Madurai. He emphasised the need to focus on morbidity along with mortality stating that more than 80% of cases lead to grievous injuries. “Minor injuries are a minority” he said.
Dr. S. Selva, Assistant Professor of Emergency at Government Rajaji Hospital delivering the Special Address
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Ms. S. Vanitha explained in detail the post-crash procedures that the police department follows. In her experience, driving under the influence of alcohol was the root cause of more than 70% of road crashes she witnessed in Madurai. “Speeding can easily lead to loss of control. We see roads as spaces only meant for ourselves and not for everybody. That mentality needs to change. ” she said. She ended her Special Address on the positive note of moving towards a zero fatality nation.
The District Conference brought together representatives from the Government, education, healthcare, several consumer protection organisations, vernacular media and civil society organisations in Madurai. The diverse participation enabled discussions on road safety that covered broader questions and solutions. Each participant came from a place of care for Madurai and could provide their own expertise regarding the district.
Ms. S. Vanitha, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic delivering the Special Address
While the misconception that Road Safety is a matter of individual responsibility still persists, the conference was a starting point in raising awareness about the role that infrastructure and enforcement must play. The conference concluded by collectively highlighting the need for the district’s cooperation in asking for and implementing a State Road Safety Action Plan that will provide a roadmap for evidence based interventions, improved interdepartmental coordination and measurable targets.
Dr. Selva, Dr. C. Packialakshmi, Ms. S. Vanitha and Ms. Nina at the Madurai District Road Safety Conference
The Madurai District Road Safety Conference was covered by the media.
