New Delhi, Aug. 11 -- Road Transport & Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday issued a stark warning about the country's road safety crisis, saying that every year, India's roads claim more lives than war or disease.

Gadkari made these remarks at a road safety event organised by ICICI Lombard General Insurance in Delhi, news agency ANI reported.

Highlighting the scale of the crisis, he said that the country records roughly five lakh road accidents annually, resulting in 1.8 lakh deaths, 66 per cent of whom are young people, calling it a loss that the country cannot afford.

The minister revealed that last year, 54,132 people lost their lives because they were not wearing helmets, while two-wheeler riders accounted for nearly 45 per c...