26th SAFE Annual Convention highlights commitment to road safety and sustainable mobility

The Society for Automotive Fitness & Environment (SAFE), an initiative by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), hosted its 26th Annual Convention under the Safe Journey (सुरक्षित सफर) initiative at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Centered around the theme “Together for Safe Roads and Green Mobility: Building a Sustainable India,” the event brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and experts to discuss strategies for enhancing road safety and accelerating the shift towards environmentally sustainable transport.

The convention was inaugurated by Smt. Rekha Gupta, Hon’ble Chief Minister of the Government of NCT of Delhi, who attended as the Chief Guest. Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Hon’ble Minister for Environment, Forest & Wildlife, Industries, Food & Supplies, Government of NCT of Delhi, participated as the Guest of Honour.

Distinguished government officials, automotive industry representatives, and sustainability experts contributed their perspectives, helping to shape actionable strategies for safer and greener mobility—both in Delhi and across the country. The gathering reinforced a shared commitment to promoting responsible driving behavior and advancing eco-friendly transportation solutions for a sustainable future.

Mr. Prashant K. Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM, opened the ceremony by sharing SIAM’s vision for safer roads and greener mobility. He emphasized that SIAM owes it to the next generation to build a better tomorrow and that the event reflects its commitment to safer roads and green mobility. He added that this event takes India a step closer to a safer, sustainable future.

In a video message, Mr. H. D. Kumaraswamy, Hon’ble Minister of Heavy Industries & Steel, Government of India, explained that the event’ theme calls for collective action, emphasizing that growth must go hand in hand with responsibility. He added, “The Ministry of Heavy Industries has invested over ₹60,000 crore to boost domestic manufacturing in order to strengthen battery energy storage and support clean energy adoption. EV adoption crossed two million in 2024, driving a circular transport economy. This is India’s opportunity to lead the world in innovation, responsibility and inclusivity.”

Addressing the 26th SAFE Annual Convention as Chief Guest, Smt. Rekha Gupta, Hon’ble Chief Minister of the Government of NCT of Delhi, emphasized the critical role of individual responsibility in preventing road accidents. She stated, “Accidents occur every minute—not because of the vehicles, but because of our behaviour. We must move away from the mindset that breaking rules is something to be proud of. While stricter enforcement is necessary, true change will come only when we choose to follow traffic rules for our own safety, not just to avoid penalties.”

Underscoring Delhi’s commitment to sustainable mobility, she added, “Our vision is for every third vehicle in Delhi to be electric, and we are on track to achieve 100% electrification of public transport by 2026. By combining road safety with cleaner mobility, we can work together to create a safer, greener future for the city.”

On this occasion, the Hon’ble Chief Minister launched SIAM’s SAFE Road Safety Context Paper, highlighting India’s readiness for safer roads along with a new initiative to engage college students on road safety.

During the inaugural session, Guest of Honour Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Hon’ble Minister for Environment, Forest & Wildlife, Industries, Food & Supplies, Government of NCT of Delhi, thanked SIAM for its initiatives. He said that a progressive country is one that advances in sustainability and moves toward net-zero goals, a vision also championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He highlighted the PM’s slogan, “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam”, which inspired global dignitaries to plant trees, and praised the Chief Minister for her efforts, noting a 40% reduction in Delhi’s garbage dumps since her tenure began.

“Road safety needs collaboration between government, policymakers, industry and users. We’re building a comprehensive accident database through EDAR, integrating it SARTHI for licensing, VAHAN for vehicle registration and PM Gati Shakti. Road safety can be truly enforced by bringing together the entire chain, from driver to database to court” – espoused Mr Mahmood Ahmed, Additional Secretary, MoRTH. Similarly, Mr Sanjay Bandopadhyaya, Member, Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, added: “Despite our target to halve accidents, cases rose drastically in 2023. Hence, we must adopt digital vehicle systems and strengthen electronic enforcement to curb recklessness. Safer roads and green energy can only be achieved if we combine them.”

“Delhi has cut accident fatalities by 8%, but we cannot stop here,” emphasized  Mr Ajay Chaudhry, IPS, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Delhi Police. He highlighted that the city still sees a very high number of challans for speeding and violations and called for even stricter penalties with zero leniency.

During the inaugural session, Mr. Sushant Naik, President, SAFE and Global Head of Government & Public Affairs, Tata Motors Ltd., implored: “Safety cannot be an afterthought, it must start from design and manufacturing and become a culture we live by. Over 1.73 lakh lives are lost each year, a stark reminder that action should be urgent and collective. Industry, government, and citizens must work together. Road safety cannot succeed without its 5Es- Education, Engineering, Emergency Care, Enforcement and Evaluation.”

Adding further to the discussion, Mr Saurabh Dalela, Director, ICAT, said, “We lose 1.7 lakh lives every year, making road safety a shared duty. By studying accident data, we know speeding and missing road signs are major causes. Every stakeholder must have a clear SOP, just like in Viksit nations, to act swiftly in case of accidents.”

Mr. Alok Jaitley, Vice President, SAFE and Executive Vice President, Maruti Suzuki India, delivered the vote of thanks, appreciating the dignitaries and students and highlighting SIAM’s commitment to road safety. He said, “Much work is underway and we must work collectively to achieve a SAFE ecosystem. Our roads will take us forward and this event reaffirms our commitment to building a safer India.”

The first plenary session, “Empowering Change through Education and Engineering,” highlighted how education and engineering together can drive safer roads by promoting awareness, responsible driving, better infrastructure design, and innovative solutions to reduce accidents. The session was moderated by Mr Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor, Autocar India, and featured insightful presentations by Mr Ashim Sharma (Senior Partner, NRI Consulting & Solutions) and Mr Som Kapoor (Future of Mobility Leader, EY Parthenon). Panelists included Mr Vinay Dhingra (Honda Motorcycle & Scooters India), Prof. Geetam Tiwari (IIT Delhi), Mr Devendra Singh (CIRT), Mr Sanjay Chatterjee (ATMA), Ms Swarnima Luthra (ASN Sr. Secondary School), Ms Sarika Panda Bhatt (Raahgiri Foundation), and Dr S. Velumurugan (CRRI).

The second plenary session, “Strengthening Road Safety through Enforcement, Emergency Care & Evaluation,” emphasized the need for strict enforcement, swift emergency response, and continuous evaluation to build a robust framework for reducing accidents and saving lives. Moderated by Mr Sumit Chaturvedi, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, VoiWorld.com, it featured presentations by Mr Saket Mehra (Grant Thornton Bharat) and Mr Dibyendu Sengupta (PWC India). The panel brought together Mr Yashpal Sachar (Ashok Leyland), Mr Shashank Jaiswal, IPS (Delhi Traffic Police), Mr Anil Syal (Safexpress Pvt Ltd), Mr Akhilesh Srivastava (ITS India Forum), Dr Tarun Lala (Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket), and para-athlete Mr Nuruddin, who shared his experience as an accident survivor.

SIAM has been actively steering the shift towards sustainable transportation through initiatives such as electrification of mobility (विद्युतीकरण), promotion of ethanol in transport (जैविक पहल), strengthening recycling practices (चक्रीयता), enhancing road safety under the Safe Journey initiative (सुरक्षित सफर), developing gas-based mobility infrastructure (गैस गतिशीलता), and advancing the hydrogen fuel ecosystem (हरित हाइड्रोजन).

In alignment with its vision of Building the Nation Responsibly, SIAM and its members continue to work closely with governments, corporations, and key stakeholders to drive safer and greener mobility across the country.