Chennai: Tamil Nadu remained at the top of the national road accident chart for the fourth consecutive year in 2025, recording more than 71,000 crashes. However, the state reported a considerably lower proportion of fatalities compared with several other major vehicle-owning states, according to data presented in Parliament.
Data provided in the Lok Sabha showed that Tamil Nadu recorded 71,387 road accidents in 2025, in which 18,505 people were killed. The figures were disclosed by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in response to a question from Kerala MP Benny Behanan.
The state recorded around 26 deaths for every 100 accidents. The latest figures also indicate a continuing rise in road accidents in Tamil Nadu. The number of crashes increased from 64,105 in 2022 to 71,387 in 2025, a rise of more than 7,000 in three years, underscoring persistent road safety concerns despite various enforcement and preventive measures.
Road accident fatalities have also increased over the same period, although at a slower pace. Tamil Nadu recorded 17,884 deaths in 2022, 18,347 in 2023 and 18,449 in 2024. The toll rose further to 18,505 in 2025.
Tamil Nadu’s large and rapidly growing vehicle population is considered an important factor contributing to its high number of accidents. As of April 1, 2025, the state had 3.76 crore registered vehicles, making it the third-highest in the country after Uttar Pradesh, with 5.05 crore vehicles, and Maharashtra, with 3.95 crore.
Despite recording fewer accidents than Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra had substantially higher fatality-to-accident ratios, at 55.47 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively.
The Centre has introduced several measures aimed at reducing road accidents and fatalities. These include mandatory speed-limiting devices for transport vehicles, with exemptions for categories such as two-wheelers, three-wheelers, quadricycles, fire tenders, ambulances and police vehicles.
Road safety specialists said Tamil Nadu’s comparatively lower fatality ratio could partly be attributed to faster emergency response and better access to medical facilities. However, speeding remains a major challenge, particularly on highways.
Experts have called for stricter speed controls, noting that modern vehicles are capable of travelling considerably faster than the design speeds of highways.
Road safety experts have also stressed the need to address driver fatigue, along with speeding and drunken driving. Measures such as random, technology-assisted fatigue screening, stronger speed enforcement and tighter monitoring of highway traffic could help reduce Tamil Nadu’s persistently high accident numbers and prevent crashes from resulting in further loss of life.
With IANS inputs