India saw 1.68 lakh deaths in accidents in 2022. Overspeeding is biggest killer

Road accidents in India has reached a new high as the Centre has released data for the year 2022. According to the report released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), India recorded a total of 4,61,312 road mishaps last year. The number of people killed due to these accidents has gone up to 1,68,491. Nearly 4.45 lakh people were also injured in these road accidents. The number of accidents in India has gone up by almost 12 per cent compared to 2021 while the number of fatalities has increased by 9.4 per cent. The MoRTH prepares this annual report on road accidents based on information shared by police.

Overspeeding remains the biggest killer on Indian roads. This has caused nearly 75 per cent of the accidents that have taken place in 2022. Wrong-side driving is also one of the biggest reasons behind increasing cases of road mishaps, contributing about six per cent. Drunken driving and usage of phones while driving are the two other big reasons, contributing more than four per cent of road accidents in India.

Flouting basic road safety norms has also killed nearly 70,000 people in India last year. Despite enforcing mandatory seatbelt rule for all occupants, around 17,000 people lost their lives in 2022 for not wearing them. More than 50,000 two-wheeler riders were also killed for not wearing helmets.

According to the report released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), more than half of all these road accidents have taken place on highways and expressways. Nearly 33 per cent of the road accidents have taken place on national highways, including expressways, which offer highest speed limits. The state highways also witnessed a little over one lakh accidents last year, about 23 per cent of all accidents in India. Around 40 per cent of the accidents tool place on other road, the report added.