Every day in India, lives are lost on our roads, not as isolated tragedies, but as a sobering reminder of how vulnerable we all are when we step out of our homes. Almost every hour, a family’s life changes in an instant. Road accidents remain a serious public health challenge, touching communities across the country and calling for collective awareness and action.
Having spent a lifetime in emergency rooms, I have seen the fragile line between life and death, often determined not by the severity of injury, but by what happens in the first 60 minutes after a crash. We call it the Golden Hour. In India, this window is too often lost to hesitation, fear, or chaos.
It is for this reason that I, as an anaesthesiologist and critical care specialist, say with conviction that road accident deaths in India are preventable. Yet, we continue to report the highest fatalities in the world.
Freedom On Road Must Come With Responsibility
We take pride in our democracy and our freedom, but on the road, freedom without responsibility becomes recklessness. Helmets and seatbelts are treated as an inconvenience, not protection. Speed limits are ignored, and signals are treated as suggestions. This is not a behavioural issue alone; it is a cultural one.
Every time someone breaks a rule, they don’t just endanger themselves, they gamble with the lives of others. The victims are often young, earning members whose families are left with emotional and financial devastation that lasts for years.
It is time we redefine what freedom on the road means: the freedom to reach home safely, not recklessly.
My commitment to this cause comes from a deeply personal incident. Years ago, I helped a photographer injured in a serious accident. Although people had gathered around him, no one stepped forward to assist. I ensured he reached the hospital, and he survived. His words, “I am alive today because of you,” stayed with me.
As I neared retirement, I realised that my duty extended beyond my profession. I began training citizens in life-saving skills and emergency response through our Trust Sahayta, following global protocols such as those of the American Heart Association and international trauma response systems.
Receiving the Padma Shri for this work was not just an honour, but it strengthened my resolve to continue this mission.
Golden Hour – The real emergency begins before the hospital
For decades, I have seen victims arrive too late, not because medical help was unavailable, but because help never began at the scene. Crowds gather, phones come out, but trained responders are rare. In those critical minutes, a life can slip away because no one knew how to lift, turn, or even call correctly.
In emergency medicine, we use the term Golden Hour to describe the critical period immediately after an accident, when prompt and appropriate care during this period significantly increases the chances of survival. Simple awareness can save lives:
- Dial 112 or 1033 for immediate help.
- If the person is unconscious, turn them to their side to prevent choking.
- Preserve severed limbs carefully — they can be reattached.
- If it is a hit-and-run, note the vehicle’s number plate and immediately inform the nearest police station.
- And remember, India’s Good Samaritan Law protects those who help. You will not face legal trouble for saving a life.
Building India’s First-Responder Culture
India does not lack compassion; it lacks systems that convert compassion into action. This is where structured initiatives like Ride Safe India, supported by Hero MotoCorp, are pioneering change. Through its Surakshit Saathi programme, gig workers and delivery riders, people who are always on the move, are being trained in emergency care and basic first response.
This is the model India needs to scale: a citizen-first response network, where trained citizens are the first link in the chain of survival. With lakhs of people on the roads every hour, even a 10% rise in trained responders could save thousands of lives annually.
From Compliance to Conscience
Road safety cannot be sustained through fines and fear alone. It must be driven by conscience. Education and empathy must begin early, in schools, in communities, and within families. Every child should grow up understanding that following a traffic rule is not about avoiding punishment; it is about protecting life.
India has shown the world what mass movements can achieve, from polio eradication to the Swachh Bharat Mission. Road safety deserves the same national resolve.
The Time to Act Is Now
We must stop treating road deaths as destiny. India has the data, the laws, and the technology, what it needs is collective will. When a citizen chooses to act instead of watching, when a rider slows down out of respect for life, when a bystander becomes a rescuer, that is when change begins.
As someone who has dedicated her life to saving lives, I can say with conviction: the road to safety runs through every citizen’s heart.
If we act together, government, industry, and individuals we can turn roads from corridors of risk into highways of care. Let us make that choice before another family loses someone too soon.
Note: This op-ed is authored by Dr. Maya Tandon, Padma Shri awardee (2024) for her pioneering work in road safety and emergency life-saving techniques.
