The number of road accidents in India surged by 12 per cent to 4.6 lakh in 2022, resulting in the death of 19 persons every hour. Additionally, 16,715 people lost their lives in road accidents last year due to not wearing seat belts, while 50,029 individuals met their demise in accidents where helmets were not worn. Out of these casualties, 35,692, or 71.3 per cent, were riding two-wheelers.
Among the States, Tamil Nadu registered the highest number of road accidents on National Highways in 2022. Conversely, the highest number of fatalities in road accidents occurred in Uttar Pradesh. The report points out that from a road safety standpoint, violations like overspeeding and driving on the wrong side are not solely attributable to human error, but may also be attributed to a lack of education and enforcement.
Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, running red lights, and using mobile phones collectively accounted for 7.4 per cent of total accidents and 8.3 per cent of total deaths, according to the report. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has set a target to halve the number of accidents and resulting deaths in the country by 2024.
The annual report is based on data and information received from the police departments of States and Union Territories on a yearly basis, following standardised formats provided by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) as part of the Asia Pacific Road Accident Data (APRAD) base project.
In 2022, a total of 4,61,312 road accidents occurred, resulting in 1,68,491 fatalities and 4,43,366 injuries. According to the report titled “Road accidents in India 2022”, “over speeding” accounted for 72.3 per cent of the road accidents, 71.2 per cent of the deaths, and 72.8 per cent of total injuries. Among the casualties, 8,384 were drivers, the remaining 8,331 were passengers.
The report revealed that 53 road accidents took place every hour in the country. It further mentioned, “A total of 4,61,312 road accidents have been reported by States and Union Territories (UTs) during the calendar year 2022, which claimed 1,68,491 lives and caused injuries to 4,43,366 persons. This marks an increase of 11.9 per cent in accidents, 9.4 per cent in fatalities, and 15.3 per cent in injuries compared to the previous year,” as stated in the report.
For the fourth consecutive year in 2022, the victims of fatal road accidents were predominantly young people in the productive age groups. The report stated, “Young adults in the age group of 18-45 years accounted for 66.5 per cent of victims during 2022,” and added that individuals in the working-age group of 18 - 60 years constituted 83.4 per cent of total road accident fatalities.
According to the report, in 2022, a total of 4,61,312 accidents were recorded in the country. Out of these, 1,51,997 (32.9 per cent) took place on National Highways (NH), including expressways, 1,06,682 (23.1 per cent) on State highways, and the remaining 2,02,633 (43.9 per cent) on other roads.
The report said, “Out of the total of 1,68,491 fatalities reported in 2022, 61,038 (36.2 per cent) were on national highways, 41,012 (24.3 per cent) were on state highways, and 66,441 (39.4 per cent) were on other roads.”
Regarding the vehicle categories involved in road accidents, two-wheelers, for the second consecutive year, accounted for the highest share in total accidents and fatalities during 2022. The report indicated that light vehicles, including cars, jeeps, and taxis, collectively came in a distant second place.
In terms of road-user categories, it was reported that the share of two-wheeler riders in total fatalities was the highest (44.5 per cent) during 2022, followed by pedestrian road-users, accounting for 19.5 per cent of individuals killed in road accidents. The report stated, “Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of road accidents in 2022 with 64,105 cases (13.9 per cent), followed by Madhya Pradesh with 54,432 cases (11.8 per cent).
