To mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR 2025), the Road Safety Network (RSN), Consumer VOICE, and NCHSE organized a Cyclothon in Bhopal to honour lives lost in road crashes and raise awareness on the urgent need for scientific speed management and a comprehensive State Road Safety Action Plan in Madhya Pradesh. Held under the theme “A Call for Speed Management and a Road Safety Action Plan,” the Cyclothon underscored the increasing risk faced by vulnerable road users (VRUs)—pedestrians, cyclists, and two-wheeler riders. Former DGP Mr. Arun Gurtoo flagged off the event from the NCHSE premises, where around seventy cyclists rode through key city routes carrying messages like “Slower Speeds, Safer Roads” and “Protect Lives: Reduce Speed.” Participants from citizens’ groups, fitness clubs, students, and civic organisations reinforced that road safety is a shared responsibility.
According to MoRTH’s Road Accidents in India report, Madhya Pradesh recorded 55,327 crashes and 13,798 deaths in 2023, and 56,327 crashes and 14,791 deaths in 2024, with over-speeding being the major cause—highlighting the need for safer speed limits, scientific traffic regulation, and stronger enforcement. Speakers including Dr. Pradip Nandi (DG, NCHSE) and Mr. Ashim Sanyal (CEO, Consumer VOICE—message read out) stressed the importance of integrating scientific speed models, such as those developed by IIT Kharagpur, into MP’s road safety planning. Mr. Gurtoo reminded participants that “behind every statistic is a family that has lost someone they love,” calling for more such public-awareness events across the city.
The event concluded with certificate distribution and a collective pledge to continue promoting the message “Remember. Support. Act.” and to make speed management a people’s movement for safer roads across Madhya Pradesh.
