Road accidents up 12% to 4.6 lakh in 2022; deaths surge to 1.68 lakh 

Despite the government's push for ‘better road infrastructure’, India continues to show a major spurt in road accidents, as the year 2022 saw road accidents rising to all-time high at 4,60,000, claiming the lives of 1,68,491 people and causing injuries to 4,43,366, according to the latest data shared in ‘Road Accidents in India-2022’ report by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

At 1,68,491, the road accident fatalities in 2022 were higher than the 2021 reported figure of 1,53,972. 

It marks an increase of 11.9% in accidents, 9.4% in fatalities, and 15.3% in injuries compared to the previous year.

Of the total accidents, 1,51,997 (32.9%) took place on national highways, including expressways, 1,06,682 (23.1%) on state highways and the remaining 2,02,633 (43.9%) on other roads.

Out of the total of 1,68,491 fatalities in 2022, 61,038 (36.2%) were on national highways, 41,012 (24.3%) were on state highways and 66,441 (39.4%) were on other roads. 

Among the states, Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of road accidents on National Highways in 2022, whereas the number of persons killed in road accidents was the highest in Uttar Pradesh.

In 2022, under the category of traffic rule violations, overspeeding is found to be a major killer, accounting for 71.2% of the persons killed, followed by driving on the wrong side (5.4%).

The report says 47.7% of accidents, 55.1% of deaths and 48.2% of injuries occurred in open areas, i.e., locations which normally do not have any human activities in the vicinity.

Under the road feature category, 67% of accidents took place on straight roads, whereas accidents on curved roads, pothole roads and steep grades together accounted for only 13.8% of the total road accidents in 2022. 

For the fourth consecutive year in 2022, the fatal road accident victims largely constitute young people in the productive age groups. Young adults in the age group of 18-45 years accounted for 66.5% of victims during 2022, and those in the working age group of 18–60 years share 83.4% of total road accident fatalities.

Road accidents are multi-causal and are often the result of the interplay of various factors like human error, road environment and vehicular condition, says the report, underscoring the urgency of adopting a comprehensive approach to address the factors causing these accidents, including speeding, reckless driving, drunken driving, and non-compliance with traffic regulations. 

It highlights the need for strengthening enforcement mechanisms, enhancing driver education and training programmes, and investing in improving the condition of roads and vehicles. The ministry says it is also working towards various aspects such as road user behaviour, road infrastructure, vehicle standards, enforcement of traffic regulations, and the role of technology in accident prevention.