India Saw 1130 Accidents, 422 Deaths Every Day In 2021, UP Has The Highest Death Toll: Government Data

Over 1.5 lakh Indians lost their lives in 4.1 lakh road accidents reported in the country in 2021, data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has shown.

According to the 'Road accidents in India 2021' released on Wednesday, a total of 4,12,432 road accidents occurred in the 2021 calendar year, which claimed 1,53,972 lives while 3,84,448 people were injured.

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In other words, on average, 1130 accidents and 422 deaths were reported every day on Indian roads or 47 accidents and 18 deaths every hour in 2021.

Road accidents, deaths increased in 2021

As per the report, the number of road accidents in 2021 increased by 12.6 per cent on average compared to the previous year, 2020.

Similarly, the number of deaths and injuries on account of road accidents increased by 16.9 per cent and 10.39 per cent, respectively, it added.

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The annual report published by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry said though the number of road mishaps decreased as compared to 2019, fatalities on account of road accidents increased by 1.9 per cent in 2021, corresponding to the same period in 2019.

Road accidents decreased by 8.1 per cent and injuries decreased by 14.8 per cent in 2021 compared to 2019.

"Fatalities, however, on account of road accidents increased by 1.9 per cent in 2021 corresponding to the same period in 2019," it said.

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Young adults account for 67.6 % of victims

Young adults in the age group of 18-45 years accounted for 67.6 per cent of victims during 2021, while people in the working age group of 18-60 years share 84.5 per cent of total road accident fatalities.

During 2021, out of 4,12,432 accidents which were recorded in the country, 1,28,825 (31.2 per cent ) took place on National Highways (NH), including Expressways, 96,382 (23.4 per cent) on State Highways (SH) and the remaining 1,87,225 (45.4 per cent) on other Roads.

It said out of a total of 1,42,163 fatal accidents reported in 2021, 50,953 (35.8 per cent) were on National Highways, 34,946 (24.6 per cent) were on State Highways and 56,264 (39.6 per cent) were on other roads.

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An accident, which results in the death of one or more persons, is a fatal accident.

The total number of fatal road accidents increased from 1,20,806 in 2020 to 1,42,163 in 2021, registering an increase of 17.7 per cent corresponding to the same period of the previous year.

It said that fatal accidents constitute 34.5 per cent of total accidents in 2021.

Tamil Nadu, UP had most accidents, deaths

Amongst the states, Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of road accidents on National Highways in 2021, whereas the number of persons killed in road accidents was the highest in Uttar Pradesh.

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In 2021, under the category of Traffic Rule Violations, overspeeding is a major killer, accounting for 69.6 per cent of the persons killed, followed by driving on the wrong side (5.2 per cent)

Regarding the type of neighbourhood categories, 46.9 per cent of accidents, 54.2 per cent of death and 46.9per cent of injuries occurred in an open area,i.e., locations which generally do not have any human activities in the vicinity.

Bad roads, potholes kill

Under the road feature category, 67.5 per cent of accidents took place on straight roads, whereas accidents on curved roads, pothole roads and steep grade together accounted for only 13.9 per cent of the total road accidents in 2021.

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Two-wheelers involved in most accidents

Among vehicle categories involved in road accidents, two-wheelers, for the second consecutive year, accounted for the highest share in total accidents and fatalities during 2021.

Light vehicles comprising cars, jeeps and taxis come at a distant second.

Regarding road-user categories, the share of two-wheeler riders in total fatality has been the highest (45.1 per cent) during 2021, followed by pedestrian road users with 18.9 per cent of persons killed in road accidents.

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