New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS): Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday called for a multi-pronged approach to tackle the issue of road safety in India.

"While on one hand we need to build roads that are safe with proper placement of curbs, under-passes and safety features for pedestrians, the automobile industry also needs to pitch in with effective safety measures in the vehicles they produce," said Gadkari while inaugurating the Regional Conference of International Road Federation (IRF), according to an official statement.

He emphasized on educating the public about their role in ensuring road safety and the plan to use of celebrities to drive home the message.

Gadkari highlighted that the proposed modified Motor Vehicles Act is aimed at making the Indian roads more safer and effective in a transparent manner, the statement added.

The two-day regional conference has been organized by the Indian chapter of IRF with the theme "Road Safety Initiatives: Status and the Way Forward."

The United Nations had set a target of reducing road accidents by 50 percent by the end of the decade 2011-2020, the statement said, adding the the regional conference is aimed at evaluating the progress so far at this mid point in the decade (2015) to identify the gaps that remain at the policy implementation levels.