One person died every three minutes in road accidents in 2022

At least one Indian died every three minutes in the country, with  road accidents claiming 1,55,781 lives and causing injuries to 4,43,366 people during the calendar year 2022, latest data released by MoRTH reveals.

This indicates the severity and impact of these incidents on the country's population, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways revealed. 

Comparing the statistics to the previous year, the number of road accidents in 2022 witnessed a 11.9 percent increase. Similarly, the number of deaths and injuries also saw a rise of 9.4 percent and 15.3 percent, respectively, putting in focus the urgency to address road safety issues in the country. 

Nitin Gadkari, the Minister for Road Transport and Highways,emphasised the wider implications of road accidents in the report, saying, "Let us remember that the cost of road accidents is borne not only by the victims and their families but also by the economy as a whole, in terms of untimely deaths, injuries, disabilities, and loss of potential income." He further emphasised that preventing road accidents not only saves lives but also contributes to the overall well-being and progress of the nation.

Among the states, Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of road accidents in 2022, with 64,105 incidents, accounting for 13.9 percent of the total accidents, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 54,432 accidents, representing 11.8 percent.

In terms of fatalities, Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 22,595 deaths, with 13.4 percent of the total number of fatalities, followed by Tamil Nadu with 17,884 deaths, accounting for 10.6 percent of the fatalities. 

The category-wise distribution of accidents and fatalities reveals that the highways, with around 5 percent of total road network in the country, accounted for more than 55 percent of total accidents and more than 60 percent of fatalities, which needs attention. During the year 2022, 32.9 percent of total accidents and 36.2 percent of total person killed on National Highways

The worrying fact is that even with some of the proactive steps taken by the government in the form of implementation of the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act 2019, which came into effect from September 1, 2019, it has not helped in bringing down the accident rates. This Act included, inter alia, provisions such as a stiff hike in penalties for traffic violations, electronic monitoring of the same, and enhanced penalties for juvenile driving, among others.