India's Safety Overhaul Cuts Rail Accidents, Mandates V2V Vehicles

The Indian government reported an 88 % drop in railway accidents, with incidents falling to 16 in 2025‑26 from 135 in 2014‑15 and only two recorded up to June 2026. The Accident Index fell from 0.11 to 0.01 per million train‑kilometres. Safety spending rose to Rs 1,20,389 crore for 2026‑27, funding measures such as electronic interlocking at 6,671 stations, track circuiting, level‑crossing gate interlocking at 10,395 gates, vigilance control devices, GPS‑based fog safety, ultrasonic rail flaw detection and the indigenously developed Kavach automatic‑train‑protection system.

In parallel, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a draft amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules that would require vehicle‑to‑vehicle (V2V) communication systems in all new vehicles from 1 Oct 2028 (compliance from 1 Oct 2027). The rule, covering two‑wheelers, cars, buses, trucks and other categories, mandates transmission of real‑time location, speed and braking data to warn drivers of imminent collisions and may trigger automatic braking. The draft is open for comments until 23 Aug, aiming to cut rear‑end and intersection crashes on Indian roads.