Nitin Gadkari on road accidents in India: 'I try to hide my face in meetings abroad'

New Delhi: Nitin Gadkari said that for things to improve, human behaviour in India has to change, society has to change, and the rule of law has to be respected. Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that road accidents in India have increased and that human behaviour must change for things to improve. He also underlined that he had set a target to reduce accidents by 50% when he first took charge as the road transport and highways minister. “Forget about reducing the number of accidents, I have no hesitation to admit that it has been increased,” Gadkari said, according to PTI. "When I go to attend international conferences where there is a discussion on road accidents, I try to hide my face." The minister, who was replying to a supplementary question during the Question Hour, said that for things to improve, human behaviour in India has to change, society has to change and the rule of law has to be respected. Gadkari said road accidents claim 1.78 lakh lives annually in the country and 60% of the victims are in the age group of 18-34 years.