New Delhi: Recklessness may not be the primary cause in some fatal accidents; instead, crashes may be triggered by instinctive human responses to road geometry, revealed insights from a meet on road safety held Monday.
Discussing behavioural patterns at length, experts presented findings that specific geometric features consistently provoke predictable driver responses, and therefore, predictable crash patterns. For instance, faced with a sharp curve, a driver may realise only too late that the bend is tighter than it appeared. The brake is pressed a second too late, and the vehicle skids. On a narrow bridge, a driver may slow abruptly out of caution. The vehicle behind fails to anticipate the hesitation, and a rear-end collision follows.
Delhi's latest data underscores the urgency. Fatal accidents rose from 1,504 in 2024 to 1,578 in 2025. Pedestrian deaths increased from 584 to 649. Even where minor accidents dipped slightly, fatal pedestrian crashes rose, signalling increasing vulnerability for those on foot.
Dr Mohan Rao, chief scientist and head of engineering services at CRRI, described road crashes as an interaction between three elements: the road (its design, geometry, signage and maintenance), the user (drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists), and the vehicle (its condition and safety systems). A failure in any one — or an overlap of failures — can result in tragedy.
However, he stressed that ‘human error' does not automatically mean irresponsibility. Distraction operates at three levels: visual (eyes off the road), manual (hands off the wheel) and cognitive (mind off the task). Even brief overlaps significantly increase crash probability.
Eye-tracking studies conducted on Indian roads offered further insight. Contrary to common belief, drivers do not consistently look straight ahead. On straight stretches, gaze tends to drift to the right. On left-hand curves, rightward bias persists. On right-hand curves, it intensifies further. This instinctive scanning pattern — linked to anticipation and alignment reading — has direct implications for where warnings and signage are placed.
If safety signage falls outside a driver's natural gaze zone, it is likely to be missed. Junctions designed purely on theoretical alignment models, without factoring in real visual behaviour, create blind spots in planning. Even lane indiscipline — often blamed for road chaos — accounts for only about 4% of crashes. Poor geometry, Rao noted, frequently nudges drivers into violations instead of discouraging them.
Anurag Kulshrestha, president and road safety expert at TRAX, echoed this through his discussion on black spot identification and the ‘safe system approach' — a philosophy that accepts human fallibility and builds buffers around it, such as safe roads, speeds aligned with road function, predictable design, and shared institutional responsibility.
Yet, progress remains slow. "On average, it takes seven-eight years to fully rectify a notified black spot. During those years, the same stretch continues to claim lives," he said.
Kulshrestha highlighted problematic segments such as the Sohna stretch of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, parts of Dwarka Expressway, and the Akshardham stretch of Delhi-Meerut Expressway, where abrupt lane drops, inconsistent widths and poorly channelised merging create sudden conflict zones. Infrastructure, he emphasised, must be rigorously audited at the design, execution and post-construction stages — not merely cleared on paper.
Questioning the long-standing binary of speed versus safety, Mukti Advani, senior principal scientist at CRRI, pointed out: "Delhi now has over 100 flyovers, with more under construction. Yet, congestion, pollution and accidents persist."
Cities, she noted, often follow a predictable cycle: an unsafe intersection gets traffic signals, congestion increases; a flyover is constructed, traffic eases briefly; within two-three years, congestion returns. Space is repeatedly allocated to speed rather than safety.
Nearly 30% of Delhi's land is already devoted to roads, while footpaths remain fragmented or encroached upon. "Foot overbridges, requiring four to eight times more physical effort than at-grade crossings, often fail because they disregard everyday human behaviour," she said, arguing that clearing and strengthening footpaths could free significant carriageway space by encouraging walking.
The impact on road safety of authentic, sturdy helmets compared to cheap knockoffs was another key talking point at the meet.
"Last year, nearly 70% of helmets sold in Delhi were fake. To the naked eye, they are indistinguishable from certified ones. But in a collision, the difference is life and death," warned UN special envoy for road safety Jean Todt.
Rajeev Kapur, MD, Steelbird Hi-Tech India, called on two-wheeler companies to mandatorily supply two genuine helmets with every bike at minimal cost. He also proposed AI-powered helmet sensors and GPS speed limiters to eliminate speeding.
The meeting was organised in collaboration with Steelbird Helmets, TRAX – Road Safety NGO and Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI).
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