Road Safety Woes: India’s Accident Trends Unveiled
India continues to face a significant challenge with road safety, as the latest statistics reveal alarming trends. Uttar Pradesh stands out with the highest number of road accident fatalities, leading the nation with 24,118 deaths in 2024. This situation raises serious concerns about road safety measures across the country.
However, there is a silver lining: nine states, including Gujarat, Haryana, and Punjab, have reported a decline in both the number of road accidents and fatalities from 2023 to 2024. For example, Gujarat saw its accident count drop from 16,349 to 15,588, while fatalities decreased from 7,854 to 7,717. Such reductions indicate that certain regions are effectively implementing road safety measures.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), approximately 4.73 lakh road accidents and 1.70 lakh fatalities were recorded across 35 states and Union Territories in 2024. This marks a slight decrease compared to 2023, but the overall trend indicates a worrying rise in accidents year after year, particularly as figures from West Bengal for 2024 are still awaited.
While some states have improved, others show mixed results. Andhra Pradesh, for instance, experienced a decrease in accidents but an uptick in fatalities. Similarly, Karnataka recorded fewer accidents but also saw a slight increase in deaths. This inconsistency highlights the complexity of addressing road safety in India.
Experts attribute the rising accident numbers to various factors, primarily poor civil engineering and substandard project reports. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has emphasized that these issues contribute significantly to the fatalities on Indian roads. He pointed out that many deaths are caused by small but critical civil engineering mistakes.
Despite various initiatives aimed at improving road safety, the overall picture remains concerning. India continues to lead globally in terms of the total number of road accident fatalities. The need for rigorous enforcement of road safety laws and improved infrastructure is urgent to combat this persistent issue. Without significant changes, the trend of increasing road accidents and fatalities may continue, posing a grave threat to public safety.
