Road Fatalities in India
30-11-2024
06:30 PM
1 min read
What’s in today’s article?
- Why in the News?
- Road Accident Statistics for 2023
- Key Causes for Road Accidents
- Regional Disparities
- Government Initiatives
- Global Context & Learnings
Why in the News?
- India continues to grapple with a severe road safety crisis, with Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, revealing distressing figures for 2023.
- Speaking at a road safety event in Lucknow, Gadkari highlighted the magnitude of road accidents, their causes, and ongoing efforts to mitigate this critical issue.
Road Accident Statistics for 2023
- Total Crashes: Over 4.80 lakh road accidents occurred in 2023, marking a 4.2% increase compared to 2022.
- Fatalities: Over 1.72 lakh deaths were reported, a 2.6% rise from 2022's 1.68 lakh fatalities.
- Daily Impact:
- 1,317 crashes and 474 deaths occurred daily in 2023, translating to 55 crashes and 20 fatalities every hour.
- Crash Severity: Fatalities per 100 crashes marginally decreased from 36.5 in 2022 to 36 in 2023.
Key Causes for Road Accidents
- Human Behaviour:
- Gadkari emphasized that human error is the leading cause of accidents, driven by disregard for laws and unsafe practices like over-speeding and reckless driving.
- Over-speeding accounted for 68.1% of road crash deaths in 2023.
- Helmet and Seatbelt Non-Usage:
- 54,000 deaths were attributed to not wearing helmets.
- 16,000 fatalities occurred due to seatbelt non-compliance.
- Pedestrian and Two-Wheeler Vulnerability:
- Pedestrians accounted for 20% of road crash fatalities.
- Two-wheeler users made up 44.8% of fatalities.
- Infrastructure Deficiencies:
- Gadkari acknowledged the presence of potholes, lack of underpasses, and insufficient foot overbridges, which significantly contribute to accidents.
- Black spots (high-risk areas) on national highways are being addressed with a ₹40,000 crore budget for rectification.
- Other Factors:
- Overloaded vehicles: Accounted for 12,000 deaths.
- Unlicensed driving: Contributed to 34,000 crashes.
- Old vehicles and outdated technology: Further exacerbated risks.
Regional Disparities
- Uttar Pradesh (UP):
- UP recorded the highest number of road accidents and fatalities in India, with 44,000 accidents and 23,650 deaths in 2023.
- Notable figures:
- 1,800 deaths were of individuals below 18 years.
- 10,000 fatalities involved pedestrians and two-wheeler users.
- 8,726 deaths were caused by over-speeding.
Government Initiatives
- Infrastructure Improvements:
- Identifying and addressing black spots on highways.
- Enhancing road designs and adding safety measures like underpasses and foot overbridges.
- Automobile Engineering:
- Directives to improve vehicle safety features to reduce fatalities.
- Awareness Campaigns:
- Promoting road safety through public awareness initiatives.
- Advocating for states to include Rules of the Road in school curriculums.
- Ambitious Goals:
- Despite aiming to reduce accidents by 50% by 2024, the progress remains insufficient, indicating the need for intensified efforts.
Global Context & Learnings
- India’s road safety challenges are among the most severe globally.
- According to the World Bank, poor road infrastructure, coupled with rapid urbanization and increasing vehicular traffic, exacerbates the problem.
- Countries like Sweden and the Netherlands have successfully implemented the Vision Zero initiative, targeting zero road fatalities through stringent policies and advanced road designs.
- India can adopt similar approaches to create safer roads.
Q1. What is E-Challan?
The e-Challan is a computer-generated challan launched by Indian traffic police to penalise traffic rule violators. It is an automatic electronic ticketing system that notifies drivers who violate traffic regulations.
Q2. How does an electronic toll collection system work?
When the vehicle passes a roadside toll reader device, a radio signal from the reader triggers the transponder, which transmits back an identifying number which registers the vehicle's use of the road, and an electronic payment system charges the user the toll.