New Delhi: India witnessed a significant and alarming rise of 12% in the number of road accidents in 2022, totaling over 4.6 lakh accidents during the year, according to a report released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
This surge in accidents resulted in the outcome of 19 fatalities every hour, underscoring the severe road safety challenges facing the nation.
The report, titled 'Road Accidents in India - 2022', disclosed that a staggering 53 road accidents occurred every hour across the country. In total, the report revealed that 4,61,312 road accidents had been reported by various states and Union Territories (UTs) during the year, leading to 1,68,491 lives lost and 4,43,366 individuals suffering injuries.
This data presents a grim picture of the nation's road safety situation, with a substantial increase of 11.9% in the number of accidents, 9.4% in fatalities, and a striking 15.3% surge in injuries compared to the preceding year.
The impact of road accidents on young adults within the productive age group of 18-45 years remained a concerning trend.
In 2022, this demographic accounted for 66.5% of victims. Furthermore, the report revealed that individuals in the working age group of 18-60 years constituted 83.4% of the total road accident fatalities.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has set ambitious targets to halve the number of accidents and associated fatalities in India by 2024. In contrast, the report reflected an increase in the number of road accident fatalities during 2022. While 1,53,972 road accident fatalities were reported in 2021, this figure rose to 1,68,491 in 2022.
The distribution of accidents across road types in India was as follows: 32.9% occurred on National Highways (NH), including expressways; 23.1% on state highways; and 43.9% on other roads. Of the total fatalities in 2022, 36.2% were on national highways, 24.3% on state highways, and 39.4% on other roads.
Two-wheelers remained the most involved vehicle category in road accidents for the second consecutive year. Light vehicles, including cars, jeeps, and taxis, followed as the second most affected category.
Among road users, two-wheeler riders comprised the highest percentage of fatalities, accounting for 44.5% of the total, while pedestrians represented 19.5% of persons killed in road accidents in 2022. The report identified over-speeding as the leading traffic rule violation, contributing to 71.2% of the fatalities in the year.
The report also highlighted that open areas, where human activities are typically minimal, accounted for 47.7% of accidents, 55.1% of deaths, and 48.2% of injuries. Straight roads were the primary location for accidents, representing 67% of all road accidents. In contrast, curved roads, pothole roads, and steep-grade roads contributed to only 13.8% of total road accidents in 2022.
'Hit from Back' was identified as the leading cause of accidents and deaths, accounting for 19.5% of total accident deaths in 2022. Other significant contributing factors included 'Hit and Run' at 18.1% and 'Head-on Collision' at 15.7%.
The annual report is based on data and information received from police departments of states and UTs on a calendar-year basis, following standardised 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 report aims to assess the road safety situation in India and help identify areas that require attention and intervention.