New Delhi: More than 7.77 lakh people have died due to road accidents in India, during 2018 to 2022. As per information given by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, the major cause behind these fatalities was overspeeding.
In 2022 alone, 1,68,491 road accident related deaths were reported across India of which, a majority 1,19,904 were due to overspeeding. This followed driving under the influence of alcohol or drug which accounted for 4,201 deaths. Similarly, driving on wrong side, jumping red light and using mobile phones while driving were other causes of fatal road accidents, as per the data of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
The number of road accident deaths in India has been on a rise. In 2018, India reported 1.57 lakh road accident deaths, while the number was 1.59 lakh in 2019 and 1.68 lakh in 2022. Even during the Covid-19 phase of lockdown, in 2020 and 2021, India reported 1.38 lakh and 1.53 lakh road accident fatalities respectively, MoRTH data stated.
Gadkari’s statement read, “The Government of India aims to reduce road fatalities & injuries by 50% by the year 2030, as per its commitment under the Stockholm Declaration. To this end, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has adopted a multi-pronged approach of 4E’s, namely, Education, Engineering (both of roads and vehicles), Enforcement and Emergency Care. Accordingly, various initiatives have been taken by the Ministry.”
