3 min readNew DelhiFeb 6, 2026 04:54 AM IST
First published on: Feb 6, 2026 at 04:54 AM IST
With road safety initiatives bearing tangible results, the total number of road accidents and fatalities on the National Highways (NHs) in 2025 have reduced by over 11%, according to data tabled by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Road accidents on national highways have always remained a serious concern as it accounts for a larger chunk of road fatalities with data showing that NHs logging over 36% of road accident deaths, though it forms only 2.3% of total road network. Declining for the first time in the last three years, total accidents and fatalities on the NHs in 2025 were 1,34,307 and 57,482, respectively — over 11% less than 1,50,958 accidents and 64,772 fatalities in 2024, shows data. In 2023, 63,112 people lost their lives in 1,50,177 accidents on the national highways.
An analysis of MoRTH data shows the reduction in road accident fatalities in 2025 was led by five states — Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. These states saw fatalities falling by 6,072 in 2025 compared to 2024, thereby bringing down total deaths by 7,290 in 2025.
Uttar Pradesh saw the biggest drop in fatalities on the NHs — from 9,560 in 2024 to 6,973 in 2025, followed by Madhya Pradesh which recorded 1,762 less deaths, from 4,644 in 2024 to 2,882 in 2025. (see chart)
The data is provisional and based on information from states/UTs to the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) portal — a central repository for reporting, managing and analysing road accident data.
However, some states also saw an increase in both accidents and fatalities on NHs compared to 2024. In Gujarat, accidents rose from 3,519 to 3,944, and fatalities from 2,192 to 2,380. In Jharkhand, which has been seeing an upward trend over the last three years, accidents rose from 2,039 in 2024 to 2,056 in 2025 and fatalities increased from 1,686 to 1,783. In Uttarakhand, accidents climbed from 828 to 875, and fatalities from 543 to 605 in 2025 as against 2024. Similarly, in Delhi, accidents saw a significant spike from 593 to 1,827, while fatalities increased from 258 to 260.
In terms of number of annual road accident fatalities, India tops globally, followed by China, which accounts for just 36% of India’s total road deaths, and the US at 25%. India has the second-largest road network in the world — about 63.45 lakh km, including 1.46 lakh km of NHs and 1.80 lakh km of state highways.
To curb accidents and fatalities on NHs, MoRTH implemented a multi-pronged strategy based on four key pillars: education, engineering (both of roads and vehicles), enforcement, and emergency care.
(Express photo by Praveen Khanna) 
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