The annual Road Accidents in India report published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways indicated that more than 40 percent of the 1,72,890 deaths attributed to road accidents last year had been related to the failure to wear helmets and seatbelts, as well as alcohol and drug-related driving.
The report pointed out that the most vulnerable group was that of the two-wheeler riders. There were also as many as 54,568 riders who died because of not utilizing helmets, including 39,160 drivers and 15,408 pillion riders. This number single-handedly contributed to all accident fatalities of 31.6% in the year. Likewise, passengers and drivers who failed to use seatbelts led to 16,025 deaths – 8,441 drivers and 7,584 passengers – and 9.3 per cent of the total.
It was also a big issue with drunken driving. Alcohol or drug-related accidents in 2023 lead to 3,674 deaths and 7,253 injuries, which constituted 2.1 percent of total road injuries. Although still alarming, the numbers also showed some improvement, with 2022 registering a death rate of 4,201, a 12.5-year-on-year decrease.
The report highlighted that speeding was the most important cause of road accidents, with a figure of 68.4% deaths, 68.1% crashes, and 69.2% injuries. There was, however, a minimal decrease compared to 2022, with a decrease in accident cases by 1.4, deaths by 1.9, and injuries by 0.7.
The other area of concern was licensing irregularities. Cases of accidents with drivers having a learner licence or none whatsoever comprised 10.3% of the total. Positively, the unlicensed driver accidents were reduced to 33,827 in 2023, which is a decrease of 5.8 percent compared to 35,925 in 2022.
On the whole, the combination of drunk driving, red-light jumping, and mobile phone use was the cause of fatalities.
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