Road Accidents Claim Over 1.53 Lakh Lives In 2021: Report

There were more than 4 lakh unfortunate road accidents claiming over 1 lakh lives and injuries to nearly 4 lakh persons in 2021, according to Road Accidents in India - 2021 report.

The annual report published by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry said though the number of road mishaps decreased as compared to 2019, fatalities, on account of road accidents, increased by 1.9 per cent in 2021 corresponding to the same period in 2019.

The report provides information on various facets of road accidents in the country during the calendar year 2021.

As per the report, there were 412,432 unfortunate incidents of road accidents during 2021 which claimed 153,972 lives and caused injuries to 384,448 persons.

This report is based on the data/information received from police departments of States/Union Territories collected on calendar year basis in standardised formats as provided by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) under the Asia Pacific Road Accident Data base project.

During the previous year 2020, the country saw an unprecedented decrease in accidents, fatalities and injuries. This was due to the unusual outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and resultant stringent nation-wide lockdown particularly during March-April, 2020 followed by gradual unlocking and phasing out of the containment measures.

Major indicators related to accidents have performed better in 2021 when compared to 2019. Road accidents decreased by 8.1 per cent and injuries decreased by 14.8 per cent in 2021 compared to 2019.

Fatalities, however, on accounts of road accidents increased by 1.9 per cent in 2021 corresponding to the same period in 2019.

The annual report consists of ten sections and covers information relating to road accidents in the context of road length and vehicular population.

Steps Taken To Ensure Road Safety

As the road accidents are multi-causal which requires multi-pronged measures to mitigate the problems through concerted efforts of all agencies of both central and state governments.

The Ministry, along with related organisations and stakeholders has formulated a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue of road safety based on Education, Engineering (both of roads and vehicles), Enforcement and Emergency Care.

In this direction the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has implemented a scheme, “Grant of Financial Assistance for Administering Road Safely Advocacy and Awards for the Outstanding Work Done in the Field of Road Safety”.

Advancement of Vehicle Engineering plays a major role in taking efficient Road Safety measures, therefore, Crash Safety Norm of the vehicles have been revised.

To strengthen the system of driver licensing and training to improve the competence and capability of drivers, the Ministry is setting up model Institutes of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) Centres.

Also, The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, is expected to bring reforms in the various segments such as enforcement of Road Safety norms and guidelines, bringing citizen facilitation, transparency, and reducing corruption with the help of information technology and removing intermediaries.

A central repository, Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) system has been developed by the Ministry for reporting, management, claim processing and analysis of road accidents data to enhance road safety in the country.