India's Road Safety Crisis: 1.73 Lakh Deaths in 2023 With Overspeeding as Major Cause

New Delhi:

In 2023, India recorded over 1.73 lakh fatalities and 4,47,969 injuries in road accidents nationwide. Two-wheeler riders constituted 45.8 percent of the victims, while overspeeding and careless driving emerged as the primary causes of these accidents, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.

The evening hours between 6 pm and 9 pm witnessed the highest number of road accidents, with 95,984 cases representing 20.7 percent of the total 4,64,029 incidents. The afternoon periods from 3 pm to 6 pm accounted for 17.3 percent (80,482 cases), while 12 noon to 3 pm saw 15 percent (69,397 cases) of accidents.

The total number of road accident cases in 2023 increased by 17,261 compared to 2022, with fatalities rising by 1.6 percent from 1,71,100 to 1,73,826, as reported by the NCRB.

Two-wheelers were involved in the highest number of fatal road accidents, resulting in 79,533 deaths (45.8 percent of total road accident fatalities). Pedestrians accounted for 27,586 deaths (15.9 percent), followed by SUV/car/jeep accidents with 24,776 deaths (14.3 percent).

Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh reported the highest two-wheeler accident fatalities with 11,490 and 8,370 deaths respectively, representing 14.4 percent and 10.5 percent of the total deaths. Uttar Pradesh also recorded the highest number of SUV/car/jeep accident fatalities (4,768 out of 24,776), constituting 19.2 percent of such accidents nationwide, as well as the highest number of truck/lorry/mini truck accident deaths (4,138 out of 13,823), accounting for 29.9 percent.

Analysis of causes revealed that overspeeding contributed to 58.6 percent (1,01,841 deaths) of road accident fatalities, while dangerous or careless driving and overtaking accounted for 23.6 percent (41,035 deaths). Poor weather conditions, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and animal crossings collectively caused 2.8 percent (4,952 deaths) of accidents.

While road accidents typically result in more injuries than deaths, certain regions showed the opposite trend. In Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 25 road accidents caused 27 deaths but only 11 injuries. Similarly, in Jharkhand, 5,316 accidents led to 4,173 deaths and 3,586 injuries; in Punjab, 6,276 accidents resulted in 4,906 deaths and 3,305 injuries; in Bihar, 11,014 accidents caused 8,873 deaths and 6,539 injuries; and in Uttar Pradesh, 37,764 accidents led to 23,947 deaths and 23,843 injuries.

Expressways reported 3,630 accident cases, causing injuries to 2,762 individuals and claiming 2,372 lives.

National Highways recorded the highest number of road accident deaths at 34.6 percent (60,127 out of 1,73,826), followed by State Highways at 23.4 percent (40,611 deaths). Other roads accounted for 42 percent (73,088) of fatalities.

State-wise analysis showed that Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of National Highway fatalities at 11.7 percent (7,041 out of 60,127 deaths), followed by Tamil Nadu (10.4 percent, 6,258 deaths), Maharashtra (8.5 percent, 5,104 deaths), Karnataka (7 percent, 4,230 deaths), and Madhya Pradesh (7 percent, 4,184 deaths) during 2023.