Telangana to roll out action plan to make roads safer for children

Hyderabad: The state govt is set to introduce a dedicated Road Safety Action Plan for Children 2030, making it one of the first states in the country to launch a child-centric road safety framework.The initiative comes amid growing concerns over fatalities and injuries involving children and adolescents in road accidents. According to data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), nearly 10,000 children lose their lives in road crashes across India every year. Telangana alone recorded over 7,000 road fatalities in 2025, including hundreds of deaths and injuries involving children.Officials said the action plan will focus on creating safer environments for children through a range of targeted interventions.

These include improving school zones and pedestrian infrastructure, strengthening speed management and enforcement measures, addressing accident-prone black spots, enhancing trauma care services, and promoting road safety awareness among students and communities.The govt also plans to establish a structured multi-departmental framework to prepare the Telangana State Road Safety Action Plan for Children 2030.

The initiative will outline clear priorities, timelines, and responsibilities for the departments involved in implementation. Officials believe the programme could position Telangana as a leader in inclusive and sustainable road safety governance in India.The announcement follows a recent consultation attended by road safety experts, officials, and other stakeholders. During the discussions, experts stressed the need for child-sensitive road safety planning, noting that safer roads for children contribute to safer communities overall.“Every child has the right to travel safely. Ensuring safe journeys for children is an investment in Telangana’s future,” experts said during the consultation, adding that the state’s initiative could serve as a model for other parts of the country.The discussions also aligned the proposed action plan with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030, which seeks to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% globally.K Ilambarithi, commissioner of the Telangana transport department, said the action plan would be developed through continued consultations with departments and partner organisations.“A road that is safe for a child is safe for every citizen. The action plan will reflect Telangana’s urban, peri-urban, rural, and tribal realities while strengthening evidence-based and child-sensitive road safety systems,” he said.D Joel Davis, joint commissioner of police (Traffic), raised concerns over increasing instances of juvenile driving and emphasised the need for stricter enforcement, child-sensitive legal measures, and safer recreational spaces for adolescents.