LUCKNOW, March 25 -- Concerns over poor road engineering and faulty traffic systems took centre stage as a two-day 'Road Safety Samvad' began at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan here on Tuesday. Institute of Road Traffic Education president Rohit Baluja said nearly 80% of traffic signals in India fail to meet prescribed norms, while about 30% of road accidents are linked to engineering flaws, underscoring the urgent need to fix infrastructure. Inaugurating the programme, transport minister (independent charge) Dayashankar Singh said the state aims to reduce road accident deaths by 50%, but stressed that the target cannot be achieved without active public participation, especially from the youth. He said enforcement measures are meant to save lives, not collect fines, and urged citizens to follow traffic rules. The minister said laws alone cannot ensure road safety and behavioural change is equally important. He pointed out that around 23,000 to 24,000 people die in road accidents every year and highlighted steps such as installation of cameras on expressways to check overspeeding and wrong-lane driving. He also called for strict adherence to rules like 'No helmet, no fuel'. Baluja said India's road infrastructure remains incompatible with safety requirements, stressing that awareness drives and enforcement will have limited impact unless road engineering improves. He also called for better training and accountability of engineers involved in road design and maintenance. Transport commissioner Kinjal Singh said trainers from all 75 districts are participating in the workshop. They will be trained in basic road safety rules, concepts and first response during accidents, with plans to further disseminate this knowledge at the school level through Scout and Guide units. NCC and NSS volunteers will also be included in the next phase. The programme includes seven training sessions involving around 300 Scout-Guide trainers and 100 NSS cadets, along with officials from transport, PWD, police, traffic and education departments....