In a country where potholed streets and unruly traffic are more common than zebra crossings and functioning signals, the rise in high-performance vehicles has triggered a new threat — not to their drivers, but to Indian pedestrians. Recent headlines involving luxury supercars like Lamborghinis and Porsches have shed light on a growing crisis: Indian roads, drivers, and systems are simply not ready for such power on wheels.
Pedestrian Safety: The Unspoken Crisis
While automotive manufacturers in India have made strides in improving crash-worthiness and structural safety of vehicles, one glaring concern continues to be sidelined — pedestrian safety. Maharashtra’s Highway Traffic Police revealed that 70% of fatalities on state and national highways involved pedestrians and two-wheeler riders. The pattern is echoed across the country, with disturbing frequency.
From Pune to Noida, accidents involving supercars have made chilling headlines. The most widely covered involved Vedant Agarwal, a 17-year-old who drove a Porsche Taycan, killing two techies. More recently, a Lamborghini Huracan hit two pedestrians in Noida. Both vehicles boast over 400–600 bhp — performance figures that demand expert handling, not beginner licenses.
India: No Country for Fast Cars?
A study by the University of Nevada once found that owners of high-status cars were less likely to yield to pedestrians — an observation that now feels like a grim prophecy in Indian cities. The growing wealth gap, combined with easy access to high-powered machines and poor driver education, has created a lethal mix.
India’s driving test system remains one of the easiest to pass. Although recent updates require 29 hours of training via certified driving academies, enforcement is lax, and penalties are laughably low — ₹2,000 for unlicensed driving, ₹25,000 if a minor is behind the wheel.
Compare this to countries like Germany and the UK, where a driving license requires passing multiple theoretical and practical tests, and failure rates are high — ensuring only the well-trained make it onto the roads.
What About Solutions?
Australia recently introduced a U-Class driver’s license for “Ultra High Performance Vehicles (UHPVs),” requiring even a theoretical understanding of concepts like traction control and throttle modulation. It’s a model India could benefit from, especially as more citizens gain access to supercars without the skill to handle them.
Some manufacturers have taken note. Mercedes-Benz India was the first to launch an AMG Driving Academy offering both basic and advanced track-based training. Maruti Suzuki runs 540 driving schools across India with courses that include simulation and theory. But such initiatives remain underutilized due to limited awareness and infrastructure.
Meanwhile, urban infrastructure crumbles, traffic signals are ignored, and drivers rely more on reflexes than rules — a system that no luxury car, however advanced, can navigate safely.
Sources By Agencies
