"When we look at what has worked and what has not in road safety, one thing becomes clear: the challenge is not only about systems or infrastructure, but also a vision problem. Too often, the vision remains restricted, shaped by silos and limited perspectives. Those in authority may have their own priorities, but the harsh reality remains unchanged. People are still dying on our roads every single day. India loses nearly 1.7 lakh lives annually to road accidents, but behind every statistic is a human story. A family that has lost its breadwinner. A child who has lost a parent. A survivor left paralysed, facing a lifetime of physical, emotional, and financial hardship. Almost all of us, in one way or another, have experienced the impact of a road crash, directly or indirectly. That is what makes this issue deeply personal. At @CrashfreeIndia, we realised that road safety cannot only be about prevention. It also must be about standing with the people who are affected by it. This understanding led us to work on enabling cash compensation for victims and their families, because financial support can become a lifeline during the most difficult moments. But ground-level implementation remains a challenge. Many victims and families are unaware of their eligibility, and in many cases, the support available never reaches them because of this lack of awareness. This is where the gap lies. It is not always the absence of solutions, but the absence of access and knowledge. If we truly want to address road safety, we must not only prevent crashes but also strengthen the support systems for those whose lives have already been changed by them." - Deepanshu Gupta, Co-Founder- @IRSC_Solve, Co-Founder – @CrashfreeIndia #ETEdge #RoadSafety #SmartMobility #RoadSafetySummit2026 #IndiaRoadSafety #SafeRoads