The World Road Statistics for 2022, published by the International Road Federation, reveals that Venezuela has the highest road accident fatality rate, with 39.4 persons killed per 100,000 population. In comparison, India’s rate stands at 9.5 persons killed per 100,000 population.
Road accidents in India are caused by various factors, including overspeeding, mobile phone usage, drunken driving, lane indiscipline, jumping red lights, lack of safety devices, vehicular condition, weather, road condition, and human error.
While the Central Government formulates rules under the Motor Vehicle Act, the enforcement falls under the jurisdiction of State Governments/UT Administrations. Data from State Police Departments shows that the number of road accident fatalities in the country in the last decade has fluctuated. In 2022, India reported 1,68,491 fatalities, with a rate of 4.3 per 10,000 vehicles.
The total number of road accidents in India from 2018 to 2022, both nationally and in million-plus cities, indicates a fluctuating trend. The Covid-affected years (2020 and 2021) saw a dip in road accidents.
Furthermore, the report highlights a positive trend in some states and Union Territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, and Lakshadweep, where the number of road accidents decreased in 2022 compared to 2021.
The number of road accident fatalities in the country during last ten years are as under:-
| Year | No. of Fatalities | No. of fatalities per 10,000 vehicles |
|
2013 |
1,37,572 |
7.6 |
|
2014 |
1,39,671 |
7.3 |
|
2015 |
1,46,555 |
7.0 |
|
2016 |
1,51,192 |
6.6 |
|
2017 |
1,50,003 |
5.9 |
|
2018 |
1,57,593 |
5.8 |
|
2019 |
1,58,984 |
5.4 |
|
2020* |
1,38,383 |
4.2 |
|
2021* |
1,53,972 |
4.3 |
|
2022 |
1,68,491 |
4.3 |
As per the Report, total number of road accidents in States/UTs (All over India) and 50 cities (Million Plus Cities) for the calendar year 2018 to 2022 are given below : –
| Year | States/UTs (All over India) | 50 cities (Million Plus cities) |
|
2018 |
470403 |
85318 |
|
2019 |
456959 |
82781 |
|
2020* |
372181 |
58736 |
|
2021* |
412432 | 67301 |
| 2022 | 461312 |
76752 |
*Covid affected years