New Delhi, Jul 26 (IANS): As many as 151,113 people have died in road accidents in India during 2019, which is 0.20 per cent of decline from the previous year, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari told the Lok Sabha on Monday.

In a written reply in the lower house of the Parliament, the Minister said that the number of road accidents in the country stood at 449,002 during 2019, down 3.9 per cent in which 151,113 people lost their lives.

Responding to a question from a group of Members of Parliament (MPs), Gadkari said that road accidents occur due to multiple reasons such as speeding, drunken driving, driving on the wrong side, use of mobile phones during driving, mechanical faults in vehicles, etc.

"The ministry has formulated a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue of road safety based on education, engineering, enforcement and emergency care," Gadkari replied in the Lok Sabha.

He further added that the ministry has made road design an integral part at the planning stage. "The ministry has delegated powers to regional officers of MoRTH for technical approval of the detailed estimates for rectification of identified road accident black spots," he added.