The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has released a new report titled ‘Road accidents in India — 2022’, which states that a total of 4,61,312 road accidents occurred in the country in 2022, claiming 1,68,491 lives and injuring 4,43,366 people. This marks an 11.9% year-on-year rise in accidents, a 9.4% increase in fatalities, and a 15.3% surge in the number of people injured.
Key points:
- The highest number of accidents (1,51,997, or 32.9%) occurred on National Highways (NH), including expressways, followed by State Highways (SH) (1,06,682 accidents, or 23.1%) and other roads (2,02,633 accidents, or 43.9%).
- Out of the total fatalities, 61,038 (36.2%) occurred on NH, 41,012 (24.3%) on SH, and 66,441 (39.4%) on other roads.
Related Info
- Road accidents in India: India has one of the highest road accident rates in the world. According to the World Health Organization, India accounts for 11% of the world’s road accident fatalities.
- National Highways: National Highways are the primary highways in India. They are maintained by the central government through the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
- State Highways: State Highways are the highways maintained by the state governments.
- Other roads: This category includes district roads, village roads, and other roads that are not classified as NH or SH.
Implications:
The high number of road accidents in India is a major concern. It causes economic losses and social distress. Road accidents also have a significant impact on the country’s healthcare system.
The government has taken a number of steps to reduce road accidents, such as improving road infrastructure, enforcing traffic rules, and raising awareness about road safety. However, more needs to be done to address this issue.
Conclusion:
The government, civil society organizations, and individuals all have a role to play in reducing road accidents in India. By working together, we can make our roads safer for everyone.
Related Info
- The report also states that the highest number of accidents occurred in the age group of 18-45 years (3,09,385 accidents, or 67.3%).
- The most common causes of road accidents were overspeeding, drunken driving, and negligence of drivers and pedestrians.
- The report recommends a number of measures to reduce road accidents, such as improving road engineering, strengthening traffic law enforcement, and raising awareness about road safety.