Bihar’s roads have turned into death traps, claiming over 50,000 lives in just seven years, as disclosed in the state Legislative Council on Monday. The session exposed deep flaws in road safety, with injuries numbering in the tens of thousands.
Triggering the discussion, MLC Maheshwar Singh spotlighted Motihari’s 393 fatalities in 2025, pressing the government on preventive steps. Minister Dilip Jaiswal laid bare NCRB figures: 50,941 deaths and around 44,000 injuries from 2019-2026, half of them prime-age youth between 18-35.
Admitting the problem’s scale, Jaiswal revealed 1,044 black spots across Bihar, now under targeted fixes. Plans include widespread awareness drives, enhanced signage, and more pedestrian crossings to mitigate risks.
Spotlight also fell on Atal Path, branded by opposition as potentially India’s most unsafe highway. MLC Samir Kumar Singh described routine screams signaling crashes, criticizing absent speed enforcement. The minister countered that foot overbridges exist but see only 5-10 daily users per CCTV data, blaming non-compliance over design flaws.
With service roads, signboards, and standard-compliant construction in place, the core issue remains human negligence. Bihar’s leadership now faces mounting pressure to transform policy into action, preventing further carnage on its accident-prone arteries.