Road safety is a pressing concern in India, where the number of road accidents and fatalities has reached alarming levels. During the Parliament Winter Session 2024 on Thursday, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari revealed that road accidents claim approximately 178,000 lives each year in India, and around 60% of those fatalities occur among individuals aged 18 to 34 years. “I had stated that by the end of 2024, we would reduce accidents and fatalities by 50%. However, instead of a reduction, the number of accidents and deaths has increased. This is one area where our department has not achieved success,” he said. Gadkari expressed his embarrassment regarding India's road safety record during international conferences, candidly acknowledging that he often feels the need to "hide his face" when discussing the high number of road accidents in India. Gadkari shared alarming statistics for road fatalities; below is the table showcasing the top states in India experiencing the highest number of road accidents: Rank State Number of Road Fatalities 1 Uttar Pradesh 23,652 2 Tamil Nadu 18,347 3 Maharashtra 15,366 4 Madhya Pradesh 13,798 Additionally, he mentioned that Delhi is the worst affected city, with over 1,457 deaths, followed by Bengaluru with 915 deaths, and Jaipur with 850 deaths due to road accidents. Top 10 states in India with the highest number of road accidents in 2022: Rank State No. of road accidents in 2022 % share in 2022 1 Tamil Nadu 64,105 13.9 2 Madhya Pradesh 54,432 11.8 3 Kerala 43,910 9.5 4 Uttar Pradesh 41,746 9.0 5 Karnataka 39,762 8.6 6 Maharashtra 33,383 7.2 7 Rajasthan 23,614 5.1 8 Telangana 21,619 4.7 9 Andhra Pradesh 21,249 4.6 10 Gujarat 15,751 3.4 Total 3,59,571 77.9 Please note: The data presented is derived from the most recently available report on Road Accidents in India (2022), published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Gadkari pointed to a lack of lane discipline and parked trucks, along with indifference to traffic laws and two-wheelers not wearing helmets, as contributing factors to the rising accident rates. Emphasizing the necessity for a fundamental change in human behaviour and strict adherence to traffic regulations to enhance road safety in India, Gadkari made a statement to Speaker Om Birla to encourage all members to support road safety initiatives.
