Governance
Road Accidents in India - 2018
- 20 Nov 2019
- 5 min read
Why in News
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released the annual report on Road Accidents in India.
- The report shows 53 crashes and the loss of 17 lives every hour.
- The road traffic injuries were the eighth leading cause of death in India in 2018.
Key Points
- Global Analysis:
- According to World Road Statistics ( 2018), India reports the highest number of road accident deaths followed by the US and China.
- World Road Statistics is released by the World Road Federation.
- As per the WHO Global Report on Road Safety 2018, India accounts for almost 11% of the accident-related deaths in the world.
- According to World Road Statistics ( 2018), India reports the highest number of road accident deaths followed by the US and China.
- National Analysis:
- The road accidents numerics:
- It kills almost 1.5 lakh people annually in India.
- The accidents, as well as accident-related deaths in the period 2010-2018, dropped drastically compared with the previous decades, despite the very high rate of growth of automobiles.
- The road accident severity (the number of persons killed per 100 accidents) has increased by 0.6% in 2018 compared to 2017.
- Major Cause:
- Over-speeding is a major cause, accounting for 64.4% of the persons killed. As the maximum number of road accidents occurred on straight roads.
- Two-wheelers accounted for the highest share (35.2%) in total accidents in 2018.
- Age:
- The young adults (18-45 years) accounted for nearly 69.6% of road accident victims.
- Minors involved in road crash deaths were at 6.6% of the total deaths.
- Gender:
- The share of males in the number of total accident deaths was 86% while the share of females was around 14% in 2018
- The road accidents numerics:
- State-wise Analysis:
- As in 2017, the State of Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of road accidents in 2018.
- Similarly, as in 2017, the number of persons killed in a road accident was the highest in Uttar Pradesh in 2018.
- Delhi has been ranked first in the total number of road fatalities compared to other Indian cities.
Significance of Road Safety
- Road transport is the dominant mode of transport in India, in terms of traffic share and in terms of contribution to the national economy.
- A negative externality of expansion in the road network, motorization, and urbanization in the country is the increase in road accidents and road crash fatalities.
- Road traffic injuries are one of the leading causes of death, disabilities and hospitalization in the country imposing huge socio-economic costs.
Steps taken at Global Level
- Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety (2015):
- The declaration was signed at the second Global High-Level Conference on Road Safety held in Brazil. The first conference was held in Russia (2009).
- Through the Brasilia Declaration countries plan to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 i.e.to half the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2030.
- United Nations has also declared 2010-2020 as the decade of action for Road Safety.
- UN Global Road Safety Week:
- It is celebrated every two years, the fifth edition of the UN Global Road Safety Week (6-12 May 2019) highlighted the need for strong leadership for road safety.
- The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) :
- It is a registered charity dedicated to saving lives through safer roads.
Steps taken Indian Government
- India has signed the Brasilia declaration and committed to reduce the number of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents.
- Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019
- It hikes the penalties for traffic violations, defective vehicles, juvenile driving, etc.
- It provides for a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, which would provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India for certain types of accidents.
- It also provides for a National Road Safety Board, to be created by the Central Government through a notification.
- The act also provides for the protection of good samaritans.
- Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan Committee
- Supreme Court had set up the three-member KS Radhakrishnan panel on road safety in 2014. The SC had termed the roads in India as “giant killers”