India's roads witnessed a grim toll in 2024, with an average of 485 lives lost every single day due to crashes, according to official data presented in Parliament. The total number of fatalities for the year reached 1,77,177, marking a concerning increase from the previous year.
National Highways Remain Critical Concern
Presenting the data in a written reply to Lok Sabha, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari provided a detailed breakdown. A significant finding was the disproportionate fatality rate on National Highways (NHs). Despite constituting a mere 2% of India's total road network, NHs accounted for 54,443 deaths, or 31% of all fatalities. However, officials noted this share is the lowest recorded in the past four years, indicating a slight positive shift.
The overall figure for 2024 represents a 2.3% increase compared to 2023, when 1.73 lakh people died in road accidents. The data, compiled from states and union territories, includes figures for West Bengal taken from the government's new electronic Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) portal. This system is designed for real-time data collection, and while sources acknowledge minor corrections may occur, it is largely considered accurate.
State-Wide Trends and the Human Factor
Delving deeper into NH statistics, the data shows a decline in both accidents and deaths on these high-speed corridors. Accidents reduced from 1.52 lakh in 2022 to 1.29 lakh, while fatalities dropped from 56,007 in 2021 to just over 54,000 in 2024. Uttar Pradesh reported a notable improvement, with NH deaths falling sharply from 8,446 in 2023 to 5,524 last year.
Despite these improvements on NHs, experts and officials stress that the situation remains critical. State highways and NHs together, which have a relatively smaller network length, are responsible for a staggering 55% of all road deaths. Former Rajasthan DGP Manoj Bhatt highlighted a core issue: "We are improving roads, technologies and vehicles, but there is a lack of education among all categories of road users. This must be addressed through awareness, motivation and enforcement."
Government's Multi-Pronged Action Plan
To combat the crisis, the government is launching several initiatives. In a significant tech-driven move, IIT-Kanpur has been roped in to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for mapping and scientifically analysing high-risk accident spots on National Highways. This analysis aims to pinpoint the exact causes of recurrent crashes at specific locations, allowing for targeted and effective interventions.
Simultaneously, the road transport ministry is working on amending the Motor Vehicles Act. The proposed changes include:
- Introducing stricter norms for issuing driving licences.
- Implementing a negative-points system for dangerous driving, which could lead to the suspension or cancellation of licences.
Experts are also calling for a broader societal effort. They urge the government to involve civil society and a larger pool of non-governmental organisations in massive awareness campaigns, arguing that the scale of the problem is too vast for a few entities to handle alone. The collective focus is now on integrating engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency care—the essential pillars of road safety—to bring down the devastating daily death count.
