India’s Road Accidents 2024: Fatalities Rise Despite State-Level Gains

Road Accidents Latest News

• According to a provisional Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) report, Uttar Pradesh recorded one of the deadliest road safety records in 2024, with one death in every two crashes — among the highest in India.
• While India’s total road accidents and fatalities are expected to exceed 2023 levels, nine states, including Gujarat, Haryana, and Punjab, reported a decline in both accidents and deaths.
• In contrast, Kerala recorded the lowest accident severity, with one death per 13 accidents, highlighting regional disparities in road safety outcomes.

India’s Road Safety Data Shows Rising Trend in Accidents and Fatalities

• The Transport Research Wing (TRW) of the MoRTH recorded 4.73 lakh road accidents and 1.70 lakh deaths across 35 states and Union Territories in 2024, with West Bengal’s data still pending.
• In 2023, India had 4.80 lakh accidents and 1.73 lakh fatalities. 
  • Since West Bengal alone reported 13,795 accidents and 6,027 deaths that year, inclusion of its 2024 data will likely push national totals beyond 2023 levels.
  • This continues the upward trend in crashes and fatalities seen since the pandemic lull of 2020–21.

About the Road Safety Data

• TRW collects accident data from the state police departments in formats provided by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) under the Asia-Pacific Road Accident Data (APRAD) base project. 
• The TRW uses this data to publish the Road Accidents in India report. The latest issue is for the calendar year 2023, with provisional data for 2024.

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States Showing Improvement in Road Safety

• Despite India’s rising national road accident figures, nine states and Union Territories recorded a decline in both accidents and fatalities between 2023 and 2024.
• This indicates encouraging progress in road safety enforcement and awareness.

Larger States with Declining Numbers

• Gujarat: Accidents fell from 16,349 (2023) to 15,588 (2024); fatalities dropped slightly from 7,854 to 7,717.
• Haryana: Accidents declined from 10,463 to 9,806, while fatalities reduced from 4,968 to 4,689.
• Punjab: Reported 6,063 accidents and 4,759 deaths in 2024, down from 6,269 accidents and 4,829 deaths the previous year.
  • These consistent reductions reflect stronger traffic enforcement and safety initiatives in these states.

Smaller States and UTs Making Gains

• Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Nagaland, and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir also reported improvements in both key metrics.
• Notably, Nagaland achieved a dramatic fall in road crashes — from 303 in 2023 to 129 in 2024 — demonstrating the potential impact of localized safety interventions.

Key Takeaway

• The trend suggests that focused state-level efforts—such as safer infrastructure, stricter enforcement, and public awareness—can yield tangible results in reducing both accidents and fatalities, even as the national totals continue to rise.

States with Mixed Road Safety Performance in 2024

• Several states and Union Territories displayed mixed outcomes in 2024 — with reductions in accidents but rises in fatalities, or vice versa — highlighting uneven progress in road safety implementation.

States with Fewer Accidents but More Deaths

• Andhra Pradesh: Accidents dropped slightly from 19,949 to 19,557, but fatalities rose from 8,137 to 8,346.
• Karnataka: Accidents decreased from 43,440 to 43,062, yet fatalities edged up from 12,321 to 12,390.
• Delhi: Recorded fewer crashes (5,834 to 5,657), but more deaths (1,457 to 1,551).
• Ladakh (UT): Accidents fell from 289 to 264, while fatalities rose marginally from 59 to 61.
• These cases suggest that severity of crashes, rather than frequency, remains a key concern.

States with More Accidents but Fewer Deaths

• Kerala: Accidents rose from 48,091 to 48,789, but fatalities declined from 4,080 to 3,846.
• Tripura: Accident numbers remained steady (577 to 578), yet deaths dropped from 261 to 226, reflecting improved emergency response and medical care.

States with Highest Overall Accident Counts

• In 2024, Tamil Nadu continued to report the most road accidents for the seventh consecutive year, with 67,526 cases, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka.
• The mixed trends reveal that reducing fatalities requires more than lowering accident frequency — it calls for safer road design, better vehicle standards, faster trauma response, and consistent enforcement across states.

India’s Road Safety Crisis: The Bigger Picture

• Despite multiple government campaigns and road safety programs, India continues to witness a steady rise in accidents and fatalities. 
• The data reveal that Indian roads are becoming increasingly unsafe, underscoring the need for stronger implementation and accountability.

India Tops Global Road Fatalities List

• According to World Road Statistics (International Road Federation), India ranks first globally in the total number of road deaths, followed by China and the United States.
• While Iran records the highest fatality rate per lakh population, India’s rate remains significantly higher than countries such as Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and China, even after adjusting for population size.

Root Causes: Poor Engineering and Planning

• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has attributed the rise in road accidents to poor civil engineering and substandard Detailed Project Reports (DPRs).
• At the Global Road Infratech Summit & Expo (GRIS) in March, he said that engineering errors and design flaws in road construction projects are a major cause of preventable deaths.

Key Takeaway

• The persistence of high accident rates despite reforms points to systemic flaws in road design, project execution, and enforcement.
• Improving engineering quality, infrastructure audits, and accountability will be essential for making Indian roads truly safe in the coming decade.

Source: IE | ToI