After a rap on the knuckles from the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) recently released its much-delayed Road Accidents in India 2023 report. Worryingly, the data shows that things are not improving for Indian road users. A total of 4,80,583 accidents were reported in 2023 – a 4.2% increase from 2022. These resulted in 1,72,890 deaths (up 2.6%) and 4,62,825 injuries (up 4.4%). On average, this translates into 1,317 accidents and 474 deaths every day.
Vulnerable road users, defined as pedestrians, bicyclists, and two-wheeler users, account for 68% of the total fatalities. In 2023, 35,221 pedestrians died – an increase of 2,396 from 2022. These figures indicate that the problem of road safety in India is a disaster that is unfolding before our eyes.
