The government has spent over Rs 40,000 crore on improving road design and safety, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said in New Delhi on 26 March 2026. He was speaking at the Sadak Suraksha Abhiyan 2026, alongside actor Aamir Khan. The campaign frames engineering fixes at accident-prone locations as central to cutting road deaths.
Gadkari said that of around 350 identified black spots, nearly 280 had been rectified. The figures relate to the set under discussion at the event, not the full national tally, which is
far larger.
A black spot is a location on a national highway flagged by the frequency and severity of accidents over three consecutive years. Causes include poor road geometry, weak signage, inadequate lighting,
sharp curves and congested junctions.
The wider picture is harder. MoRTH data shows 13,795 black spots identified across national highways, with long-term rectification completed on 5,036. A parliamentary panel called the slow progress a significant governance failure.
The ministry has set targets in response. It aims to fix 1,000 black spots in FY26 and to eliminate all identified spots by FY28, through better signage, road design and junction management.
Rectification runs on two tracks. Short-term measures cover rumble strips, reflective markers, cautionary boards and speed restrictions. Long-term measures involve underpasses, bypasses, flyovers and lane widening, and take far longer to deliver.
The audit regime sits behind this work. MoRTH has issued tenders for independent road safety audits to assess black spots and recommend fixes, including state packages such as those in Himachal Pradesh. Rectified spots are also meant to be monitored to confirm the remedy worked.
State-level pressure is mounting. In Haryana, the police flagged delays to MoRTH, reporting that of 136 black spots identified between 2022 and 2024, none had been rectified, against more than 4,000 road deaths in the state this year.
Gadkari also pointed to non-engineering measures. These include mandatory six airbags in cars, a digitalised licensing system, over 200 driving training centres, Good Samaritan protection and treatment support
of up to `1.5 lakh for accident victims.
The gap between targets and delivery remains the test. With fewer than 40 per cent of identified national-highway black spots permanently fixed, the FY28 deadline depends on a sharp lift in the pace of engineering work.
