TL;DR: Though the number of road accidents in India declined over the past decade, fatalities increased, with 1.77 lakh people killed in 2024. Accident severity also increased, with two-wheeler riders and pedestrians accounting for a growing share of deaths. The data also highlights fatalities linked to non-use of helmets and seat belts, underscoring the importance of safety measures alongside safer roads, vehicles, enforcement and timely emergency assistance.

Context

Road crashes continue to be a serious concern in India, given the scale of fatalities and injuries associated with them. The country’s expanding road infrastructure and rising number of vehicles have increased the need for greater attention to road safety. The consequences of crashes go beyond the immediate loss of life, with victims and their families often living with the consequences (both financial and otherwise) for a long time. A 2022 World Bank study noted that India had around 1% of the world’s vehicles but accounted for nearly 10% of road crash-related deaths globally. It also estimated that road crashes resulted in an economic loss equivalent to 5% to 7% of India’s GDP. The scale of these human and economic costs makes road safety an important concern, particularly as mobility and road transport continue to expand across the country. In this insights edition, we look at the trends in road accidents in India, the victims involved, and the role of safety gear in reducing the severity of injuries and fatalities.

Who compiles this data?
This data is compiled by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and published in its annual Road Accidents in India report. 

Where can I download clean & structured data related to this?

Clean, structured, and ready-to-use datasets related to Road Accidents in India are available on Dataful. The platform provides a collection of datasets covering detailed yearly, state-wise, and city-wise statistics on accidents, injuries, and fatalities broken down by key categories such as victim age and gender, vehicle types, road categories, junction types, and specific traffic violations like over-speeding or helmet and seat belt non-compliance. 

Key Insights

• The number of road accidents declined from 5.06 lakh in 2015 to 3.72 lakh in 2020, partly due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Though accidents increased in subsequent years, they remained below 2015 levels even in 2024.

• Despite the decline in total accidents, the number of road accident deaths increased over the decade, reaching 1.77 lakh in 2024.

• The number of persons injured also declined until 2020 before increasing in subsequent years. However, injuries in 2024 remained below 2015 levels.

• Road accident severity, measured as deaths per 100 accidents, increased over the decade. It was about 21.6 in 2005, peaked at 37.3 in 2021 and stood at 36.3 in 2024. In other words, around 36 deaths were reported for every 100 road accidents in 2024, highlighting the increase in accident severity despite the total number of accidents remaining below 2015 levels.

• Deaths involving Two-wheeler users grew rapidly by 45.7%, while pedestrian deaths jumped by 41.3% in the last five years. These two categories represent the primary driver behind the post-2020 increase in total fatalities.

• In contrast, fatalities among occupants of four-wheelers and heavy vehicles steadily declined over the same period, with car occupant deaths dropping by 8%, while deaths among truck and bus victims fell significantly.

• In 2024, nearly half of all road fatalities were two-wheeler riders, while pedestrians and car occupants accounted for one-fifth and one-eighth of total deaths, respectively.

• Deaths due to not wearing helmets increased by over 21% between 2019 and 2024, reaching a total of 54,122 fatalities in 2024. Drivers consistently accounted for the vast majority, between 67% and 73%, of all helmet-related fatalities throughout the five-year period.

• Fatalities linked to seat belt non-compliance showed a positive overall reduction, dropping by 30.7% from 20,885 total deaths in 2019 to 14,466 in 2024. Passenger fatalities from not wearing seat belts exceeded driver fatalities in 2019 but progressively declined in subsequent years to fall below driver deaths by 2024. These figures underscore the role of helmet and seat belt use in improving road safety and reducing the risk of fatal outcomes in crashes.

  While both the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) paint a similar picture of rising road fatalities over the decade, reaching roughly 1.75 to 1.77 lakh deaths in 2024, their figures reflect minor annual discrepancies. NCRB reported slightly higher numbers in earlier years, whereas MoRTH’s totals have marginally surpassed NCRB’s in recent periods. These subtle variances stem from fundamental differences in how data is processed. NCRB relies strictly on legal First Information Reports (FIRs) filed at police stations, while MoRTH aggregates broader administrative reports from state police and transport departments.

Why does it matter?

The trends show that road safety in India is not only about reducing the number of crashes, but also about preventing crashes from resulting in deaths and serious injuries. The rising severity of accidents, growing fatalities among two-wheeler users and pedestrians, and the number of deaths associated with non-use of helmets and seat belts highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to road safety.

Several measures have been introduced by the government, ranging from improving road infrastructure and addressing accident-prone black spots to strengthening vehicle safety standards and enforcement of traffic rules. Measures have also been introduced to improve the response after a crash. The Good Samaritan provisions protect bystanders who come forward to help accident victims, including by protecting them from unnecessary harassment by police and other authorities. Section 134A of the Motor Vehicles Act provides statutory protection to Good Samaritans, while the government’s Rah-Veer scheme also seeks to encourage people who help road accident victims during the critical period immediately after a crash.

With road transport and mobility continuing to expand, improving road safety requires action across the entire chain, from safer roads and vehicles and responsible road behaviour to the use of safety gear, effective enforcement and timely emergency assistance.

Key Numbers

• Road Accidents: 5.06 Lakh (2015) → 3.72 Lakh (2020) → 4.89 Lakh (2024)

• Road Accident Deaths ↑: 1.46 Lakh (2015) → 1.77 Lakh (2024)

• Deaths per 100 accidents ↑: 21.6 (2005) → 36.3 (2024)

• +45.7% ↑ two-wheeler deaths, 2019 → 2024

• 54,122 (2024) deaths linked to non-wearing of helmets