India's road safety situation is quite worrying as there would be 9% more deaths in 2022

 India's road safety situation is quite worrying as there would be 9% more deaths in 2022

In India, the number of traffic accidents climbed by 2.75 percent in 2022 compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019, while deaths increased by 11.5 percent and injuries from traffic accidents decreased by 1.8 percent.

Notwithstanding the government's best attempts to make Indian roads safer, there were still concerns about road safety in the nation as 1,68,491 persons lost their lives in traffic accidents in 2022—a 9.4% increase from 2021.

According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' Annual Report on "Road Accidents in India-2022," which was released on October 31, there were 4,61,312 road accidents in the nation in 2022—nearly 12% more than in 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic caused partial lockdowns and traffic restrictions.

In 2022, there were 443,366 injuries caused by traffic accidents, a 15.3 percent rise from the previous year.

These numbers equate to 1,264 accidents and 462 fatalities every day on average, or 53 accidents and 19 fatalities per hour across the nation.

The data/information given to the United Nations Economic along with Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) under the age of the Asia Pacific Road Accident Data (APRAD) base project, which is based on calendar-year information and/or data received from police departments of States/UTs, forms the basis of the Road Mistakes in India-2022 report.

In India, the number of traffic accidents climbed by 2.75 percent in 2022 compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019, while deaths increased by 11.5 percent and injuries from traffic accidents decreased by 1.8 percent.

The idea that Indian infrastructure is subpar by international standards and that Indians disobey traffic laws is strengthened by the spike in road accidents and deaths in India seen in 2022.

As we revealed in Moneycontrol's In Bad Shape series, while India generally adheres to internationally recognized standards, the existing system permits standards to have gaps and overlaps.

Road safety is still a problem in the nation, despite the government's consideration of numerous measures, including getting road project consultants to sign "Integrity Pacts" and establishing a specialized cadre for organizations like the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) along with National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL).

In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol last month, Union Minister of highways and road transportation Nitin Gadkari expressed his belief that without individuals follow traffic laws and modify their behavior, attempts to lower road accidents in India and minimize mortality would not be successful.

"Frankly speaking, we don't feel fulfilled, (and are not) seeing a fall in accidents given that we need to change human behaviour," Gadkari had said.

He went on to say that passengers should refrain from driving on the wrong side of the road, start obeying traffic signals, and chat on their phones less when operating a vehicle.

The government wants to cut India's traffic accident rate by half by the following year, according to a statement made previously by the Union Minister.

The minister had recently said that the government is putting aside Rs 40,000 crore to clear Indian highways of "black spots," or locations that are prone to accidents.

The 'Road accidents in India -- 2022' study states that 23.1 percent of accidents occurred on state highways, 43.9 percent occurred on other roads, and 32.9 percent occurred on national highways, including expressways.

Three quarters of the 1,68,491 deaths recorded in 2022 occurred on federal roadways, twenty-three percent occurred on state highways, and the remaining forty-nine percent occurred on other roads.

The severity of traffic accidents, as determined by the number of fatalities per 100 incidents, declined little from 37.3 in 2021 to 36.5 in 2022.

With 13.4% of all deaths, Uttar Pradesh remained the state with the highest percentage, followed by Tamil Nadu(10.6%), Maharashtra(9%), Madhya Pradesh(8%), and Karnataka (6.9%).

According to an examination of the age distribution of fatal road accident fatalities, 66.5 percent of casualties in 2022 were young people (18–45 years old), a pattern that continued from 2021.

In a similar vein, a gender comparison of road accident fatalities for the year 2022 indicates that 86.2 percent of casualties were men and just 13.8 percent were women.

The majority of traffic accidents in India are caused by major infractions including speeding, riding without a helmet, driving while intoxicated, and driving on the wrong side of the road.

Speeding is the primary infraction linked to traffic violations, deaths, and injuries in India, according to data from road accidents caused by different kinds of infractions.

In 2022, 72.3 percent of all traffic accidents, 71.2 percent of all fatalities, and 72.8 percent of all injuries were caused by speeding.

In 2022, there were 12.8 percent more speed-related incidents, 11.8 percent more deaths, and 15.2 percent more injuries than in 2021.

Operating a vehicle on the incorrect side of the road accounted for 4.9 percent of all traffic accidents in 2022, making it the second most common cause.