New Delhi, Jun 11: The number of road accidents in India went up by 1.48 per cent to over 4.87 lakh in 2024, resulting in the deaths of 20 persons every hour, according to a report by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The report showed that on average, 56 road accidents take place every hour in the country.
“A total number of 4,87,707 road accidents have been reported by Police Departments of states and UTs in the country during the calendar year 2024, claiming 1,77,175 lives and causing injuries to 4,71,441 persons,” the report titled ‘Road accidents in India 2024’ said.
Amongst states, the report said Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of accidents at 67,526, whereas Uttar Pradesh (24,118) reported the highest number of accident fatalities during 2024.
During 2024, a total of 1,50,958 (31.0 per cent) accidents took place on the National Highways (NH), including Expressways, 1,03,538 (21.2 per cent) on state highways (SH) and the remaining 2,33,211 (47.8 per cent) on other roads.
According to the report, 64,772 (36.6 per cent) fatalities were reported on National Highways, 39,277 (22.2 per cent) on state highways and 73,126 (41.3 per cent) on other roads.
Out of the total 1,64,378 fatal accidents reported during the year, 59,043 (35.9 per cent) were on National Highways, 36,392 (22.1 per cent) were on state highways, and 68,943 (41.9 per cent) were on other roads.
Among vehicle categories involved in road accidents, two-wheelers accounted for the highest share in total fatalities during 2024, followed by light vehicles – cars, taxis, vans and other light motor vehicles – and trucks/lorries.
In terms of road-user categories, the share of two-wheeler riders in total fatality was the highest at 46.2 per cent, followed by pedestrians at 20.6 per cent, those using cars, taxis, vans & LMVs at 12.4 per cent. (PTI)
