A total of 1,53,972 lives were lost due to road accidents in India in 2021, highest since 2011, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The data analysed by News18 shows that on an average around 422 deaths were reported each day or around 18 deaths every hour.
The annual report ‘Road accidents in India – 2021’, released on Wednesday, shows that there were 4,12,432 road accidents in 2021, which claimed 1,53,972 lives and caused injuries to 3,84,448 persons. Compared to 2020, India has reported 22,258 more deaths in road accidents in 2021 – a jump of around 17%, the data analysed by News18 shows.
Further, the number of road accidents increased from 3,66,138 in 2020 to 4,12,432 in 2021 – 46,294 more accidents or 12.6% jump.
“During the previous year 2020, the country saw an unprecedented decrease in accidents, fatalities and injuries. This was due to the unusual outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and resultant stringent nation-wide lockdown particularly during March-April, 2020 followed by gradual unlocking and phasing out of the containment measures,” the report said.
Among the states, Tamil Nadu (55,682 or 13.5%) recorded the highest number of road accidents, followed by Madhya Pradesh (48, 877 or 11.8%). Further, with 21,227 road accident deaths, Uttar Pradesh topped the chart, followed by Tamil Nadu (15,384 deaths), Maharashtra (13,528), Madhya Pradesh (12,057), Rajasthan (10,043) and Karnataka (10,038). Together, these states were responsible for 82,277 or 53.44% deaths. Uttar Pradesh reported around 11% more deaths during 2021 than 2020, while Tamil Nadu saw a 91% jump.
Road transport is the most cost-effective mode of transportation in India both for freight and passengers, keeping in view its level of penetration in populated areas. Exposure to an adverse traffic environment is high in India because of the unprecedented rate of motorisation and growing urbanisation fueled by a high rate of economic growth.
“As a result, incidents of road accidents, traffic injuries and fatalities have remained unacceptably high,” the report said.
The information provided in the report is sourced from police departments of States/Union Territories collected on calendar year basis in standardized formats as 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.
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