Road accidents have turned out to be a major epidemic across the globe. However, the developing countries have been affected the most. The issue of road accidents has been sidelined by governments and road users in developing countries. In order to tackle this issue, sustainable coordinated effort from governments, NGOs, driving schools, automobile manufacturers, research institutes, private stakeholders, media and road users is required. The paper emphasizes on the need for taking up multiple measures—technical and non-technical—simultaneously, to address the problem effectively.

Roadways have always been the primary means of transportation for both industries and people. Though airways and railways are becoming increasingly popular— complementing the fast pace of life—road transportation has succeeded in maintaining its eminence. But it is a hard fact that, across the world about 1.2 million people lose their lives and as many as 50 million get injured annually in road crashes¹. Even more startling is the reality that, 85% of those deaths and 90% injuries occur in developing countries². This costs the developing countries about 1-3% of their GNP³. In India, 1,00,000 people lose their lives in road accidents every year and more than a million sustain serious injuries, thus costing an estimated Rs. 300 bn each year, of India's GDP⁴. The developing countries—that struggle to attain considerable annual GNP/GDP growth rate—must attend this issue (which is often neglected) at the earliest. Unlike life-threatening diseases such as AIDS and Hepatitis B, which require millions of dollars in research to innovate drugs and medical facilities, road safety would merely require sustainable coordination and a handful of precautions, to be taken up by the stakeholders and the Governments of the respective countries.

The causes of road accidents include lack of enforcement, driving in the influence of alcohol and drugs, fatigue, improper driving, bad road design, improper training, bad vehicle condition and lack of a road culture. To counter these varied causes of road accidents, coordinated, multi pronged strategy and cohesive effort of Government and its respective departments and other stakeholders of road are required. The other stakeholders include NGOs, vehicle manufacturers, driving schools, medical fraternity, research institutes, private stakeholders and the road users. Every stakeholder would have to contribute to the maximum level to save people and economy of the country.

Road Safety Management: A Holistic Perspective, Road accidents, developing countries, road accidents, governments and road users, NGOs, driving schools, automobile manufacturers, research institutes, private stakeholders, media and road users,technical and non-technical.