Road accidents in India at decade low, but number of fatalities up

70% accidents caused by over-speeding; two-wheeler riders, pedestrians among most vulnerable

The number of road accident deaths in India increased in 2022, even as the total number of accidents fell to a decadal low.

India recorded 461,312 road accidents in 2022. Ten years ago, in 2012, the number was 490,383, according to ‘Road accidents in India 2022’, a report by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (chart 1). Compared to 2021, though, 11.9 per cent more accidents were reported. 

Last year, 168,491 people lost their lives in road accidents – 21.9 per cent more than in 2012, when 138,258 died (chart 2). 

National and state highways accounted for 32.9 per cent and 23.1 per cent of these accidents, respectively. 

Around 72 per cent of the accidents were due to overspeeding. Driving on the wrong side, or lane indiscipline, caused 4.9 per cent of the accidents, while drunken driving or consumption of alcohol and drugs was responsible for 2.2 per cent of the incidents. 

Data indicates that not using seat belts or helmets proved risky, with 40 per cent of the fatalities occurring due to noncompliance of these safety norms.

Two-wheelers remained the most vulnerable, with 44.5 per cent of the accidents involving them, followed by pedestrians (19.5 per cent).  

A majority of road accidents were reported in rural areas (61.6 per cent). 

Data shows that rural roads continue to be wanting attention. Expenditure on rural roads was Rs 0.27 trillion in FY22 compared to Rs 1.2 trillion on national highways and Rs 1.5 trillion on state roads, according to CRISIL Research. The money spent on rural roads has increased only 49 per cent since FY16, compared to 72 per cent for state roads and 401 per cent for national highways. 

The India average for accident severity – the number of persons killed per 100 accidents – was 36.5 compared to 28.2 in 2012. It was worse for 22 states and Union Territories. 

Five states accounted for half the number of road accidents: Tamil Nadu (64,105), Madhya Pradesh (54,432), Kerala (43,910), Uttar Pradesh (41,746) and Karnataka (39,762) (chart 3).

Among 50 Indian cities with a population of one million or more

Delhi recorded the highest number of road accidents (5,652). The number of persons killed or injured was also high in the city. 

Also, straight roads accounted for 67 per cent of the accidents. “Vehicle speed tends to be high on straight roads in open areas, which corroborates the high percentage of road accidents, persons killed and injured on these roads,” the report noted.

In 2021, India had reported the highest number of road accident deaths in the world, according to data by the International Road Federation. China followed with 62,218 fatalities, with the United States (42,915) and Indonesia (25,266) also high on the list (chart 4).

That year, the fatalities per 100,000 were 10.9 per cent for India, higher than the South Asian average of 7.5 per cent. 

Meanwhile, vigilance by authorities has increased. The number of traffic challans or notices rose to 47.3 million in 2022 – up from 20.5 million in 2019, according to the data shared by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in the Rajya Sabha earlier this year.