Uttar Pradesh sees over 13,000 road accidents, nearly 7,700 deaths in 2025 so far

Uttar Pradesh has registered more than 13,000 road accidents and nearly 7,700 related deaths between January 1 and May 20 this year. In 2024, Uttar Pradesh recorded 46,052 road accidents, which led to 24,118 fatalities and 34,665 people getting injured. In comparison, 2023 had 44,534 accidents, with 23,652 deaths, and 31,098 injuries reported, according to official figures.

News agency PTI has reported that a new state-level analysis has highlighted that afternoons and evenings remain the most dangerous periods for road users, as the majority of the road accidents take place around that time. The analysis revealed that more than 60 per cent of all accidents occurred during the afternoon (12 pm to 6 pm) and evening (6 pm to 9 pm) hours. These findings are part of a time-based analytical report compiled by the Uttar Pradesh Road Safety and Awareness Cell, which used data sourced from iRAD (Integrated Road Accidents Database), eDAR (e-Detailed Accident Record), and the state's own road safety dashboard, the report stated.

UP road accidents: Afternoons are most deadly

The report claims that the afternoon emerged as the deadliest, recording 4,352 accidents and 2,238 fatalities between January 1 and May 20 this year. The study has attributed the trend to a combination of extreme heat, driver fatigue, over-speeding, and increased vehicular load on the roads during these hours. The evening hours accounted for 3,254 accidents and 1,945 deaths during the same period, driven by post-work traffic congestion and decreased visibility after sunset.

Morning hours, from 6 am to 12 pm, registered 2,629 accidents and 1,447 deaths. Though relatively safer, this period still bore the impact of school and office hour traffic. Late night hours, from 9 pm to 3 am, reported 2,585 accidents and 1,699 deaths. During the late slot, though the number of accidents was lower, the severity was significantly higher due to speeding on empty roads and driver fatigue. The early morning hours between 3 am and 6 am recorded the fewest accidents at 506, but with 392 deaths, the fatality rate was alarmingly high at nearly 77 per cent.

The study has noted that sleep-deprived drivers and exhausted long-distance transport operators were key factors behind these highly fatal crashes. The report concludes that while afternoons and evenings remain high-risk due to volume and behaviour-related factors, night-time and early morning crashes, though fewer, were far more lethal.

In response to this, the road safety cell of Uttar Pradesh has reportedly recommended enforcement drives during peak-risk hours, increased deployment of police and speed detection equipment, and improved use of CCTV surveillance to track violations in real time.

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