NATIONAL : The Annual Report on ‘Road Accidents in India-2022” has been published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The report is based on the data/information received from police departments of States/UTs on a calendar year basis in standardized formats as provided by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) under the Asia Pacific Road Accident Data (APRAD) base project.

As per the report, a total of 4,61,312 road accidents were reported by States and Union Territories (UTs) during the calendar year 2022, which claimed 1,68,491 lives and caused injuries to 4,43,366 persons. It marks an increase of 11.9% in accidents, 9.4% in fatalities, and 15.3% in injuries compared to the previous year.

The report underscores the urgency of adopting a comprehensive approach to address the contributing factors to these accidents, including speeding, reckless driving, drunken driving, and non-compliance with traffic regulations. We must strengthen enforcement mechanisms, enhance driver education and training programs, and invest in improving the condition of roads and vehicles.

As per the report, among the North Eastern States, Assam recorded the highest number of accidents during 2018 and 2022. Tripura with 575 accidents, was in second place, followed by Manipur (508). The number of accidents increased in 2022 over 2021 in Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura. In Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Nagaland there was a decrease in accidents in 2022 as compared to 2021.

The top 10 States in terms of the number of accidents have been selected based on the number of road accidents reported by States/UTs in 2022. Tamil Nadu maintains its top position for the fifth consecutive year in 2022 with 64,105 (13.9%) accidents, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 54,432 (11.8%), Kerala with 43,910 (9.5%) accidents, Uttar Pradesh with 41,746 (9.1%) and Karnataka with 39,746 (8.6%), Maharashtra with 33,383 (7.2 %), Rajasthan with 23,614 (5.1%), Telangana with 21,619 (4.7%), Andhra Pradesh with 21,249 (4.6%), Gujarat with 15,751 (3.4%) accidents.