The number of road deaths in India will surge in 2021 after falling 13% in 2020. Traffic deaths in 2021 are the highest in the past five years.
Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of road deaths in 2021.
In 2021, 153,972 people will die in traffic accidents across the country. The 131,714 road fatalities in 2020 amid the pandemic are down from 151,113 in 2019, 151,417 in 2018 and 147,913 in 2017, Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Roads Union, said in a reply. told Rajya Sabha.
In 2021, Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of road traffic fatalities at 21,227, followed by Tamil Nadu (15,384), Maharashtra (13,528), Madhya Pradesh (12,057), Nataka (10,038), Andhra Pradesh (8,186), Bihar (7,660), Telangana (7,557), Gujarat (7,452) and West Bengal (5,800).
pedestrian
Tamil Nadu reported 16,869 accidents on state roads in 2021. The number of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents during the year was 3,647, the highest for the 2018-2021 period. While Uttar Pradesh continues to report the highest number of road traffic fatalities among the states, Tamil Nadu still ranks second or third for the period 2017-2021. “Speeding is the single largest contributor to the state’s highest number of accidents and fatalities,” the findings said.
While industry representatives believe that increased travel in the post-Covid era may lead to more accidents and fatalities, FIR data received from various states/UTs indicate that road fatalities occur for a variety of reasons such as speeding, using mobile Telephone calls, drunk driving/drinking and drug use, wrong-way/lane undisciplined, running red lights, failure to use safety devices, vehicle condition, weather, road conditions, etc.,
In a recent interaction, Maruti Suzuki India chairman RC Bhargava pointed out that poor vehicle adaptation regime and driving errors were the main causes of accidents. There are a lot of accidents on the road due to the failure of certain systems in the vehicle, and there are no laws or regulations to ensure that vehicles on the road comply with safety features. Also, like other countries, there is no particular focus on driver training and licensing processes.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Joint Road Transport and Highways has taken several measures to reduce road accidents. It implemented the Electronic Detailed Accident Reporting (e-DAR) application, a central repository for reporting, managing and analyzing road accident data for timely intervention to improve road safety across the country.
The ministry endorsed the Center of Excellence for Road Safety at IIT-Madras with the fundamental objectives of creating smart and safe transport systems, planning data-driven road safety initiatives, conducting research on human factors of road safety, and sharing knowledge with stakeholders.
