Road accidents in India

• The Ministry for Road Transport and Highways sets a target to reduce road accident deaths by 50 percent by 2024.
• In February, the ministry released the World Bank Report titled “Traffic Crash Injuries And Disabilities: The Burden on India Society”.
• In India, 11% of the global death in road accidents, the highest in the world.

• About 4.5 lakh road crashes per annum, in which 1.5 lakh people die.

• Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) - Eighth leading cause of death

• Estimated Economic Loss - 3.14% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), indicating underreporting phenomenon in the country.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Estimates -

• Socio-economic cost of Road Crashes is equivalent to 0.77% of the GDP.
• 76.2% of people who are killed in road crashes are in their prime working-age, 18-45 years.

• The share of males in the number of total accident deaths was 86% while the share of females was around 14% in 2018.
• Delhi has been ranked first in the total number of road fatalities compared to other Indian cities.

Reasons for road accidents:

• Over speeding
• Damaged roads
• Water logging on roads in rainy seasons
• Inefficient traffic system
• Inadequate safety gears