Road accidents are a major public health concern in India, with over 450,000 reported accidents responsible for over 150,000 deaths in 2022.[1] The number of fatalities has risen steadily over the past two decades, nearly doubling between 2000 and 2022. The burden falls disproportionately on young people, and two-wheeler users are particularly vulnerable.
However, it is likely that official statistics miss the full extent of mortality from road accidents; India's Sample Registration System surveys over eight million households to estimate causes of death using verbal autopsies (see a full explanation here). In 2022, the SRS estimates suggest that there were around 270,000 road accident fatalities.[2] This is nearly double the number of road accident deaths reported by the Indian police for the same year. (For a full discussion of data sources on road accident fatalities, read this piece in our Measurement section.)
Change over time
To put road accident deaths in context, they are usually measured in two ways - relative to population, and relative to the number of vehicles.
The number of fatalities relative to India's population has been steadily rising, going from around eight deaths annually for every 100,000 people in 2000, to 12 deaths for every 100,000 people by 2022.
Road accident fatalities are also examined relative to a country's vehicle density. Relative to the number of vehicles in India, fatalities have been on the decline.[3]
India in global context
Even by official recorded numbers, India reports the highest number of road accident deaths of any country in the world[4] and accounts for 11% of the world's road accidents.[5]
Proportionate to its population, however, India has a lower mortality rate from road accidents than the global average. While India's road fatalities per 100,000 population are lower than the global average, they exceed those of neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh.[6]
Who is dying in road accidents, and why
Road accidents are a leading cause of mortality in India. 29 out of every 1,000 deaths in India in 2022 could be attributed to road accidents.[7] Among young men (aged 15-29) in particular, road accidents are the single largest cause of death, responsible for over one in five deaths.
Over two in five road accident deaths are among those riding two wheelers; this is the largest category ahead of pedestrians. Police data classifies road users by the type of vehicle they were in, or if they were pedestrians.
A large share of these deaths comes down to one preventable factor - helmets. Of about 75,000 two-wheeler fatalities in 2022, around 50,000 involved riders or passengers who were not wearing one.
Cars show a similar pattern with seat belts. Of about 21,000 four-wheeler deaths in 2022, around 17,000 involved victims who were not wearing seat belts.
Traffic violations were associated with a majority of road accident fatalities in India. The leading cause was overspeeding, involved in seven out of every ten fatalities. Other common violations included drunken driving or drug consumption, driving on the wrong side, jumping red lights, and using mobile phones while driving.
Geographic distribution
Six states were responsible for over half of all the road accident fatalities in 2022 - Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Karnataka. However, proportionate to their populations, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh have the highest accident rates.
While broad national patterns hold at the state level as well, there are some state-level variations. In Bihar and West Bengal, for instance, more than half of the road accident deaths involved pedestrians. Meanwhile, in Goa, Chhattisgarh, and Tamil Nadu, over half of road accident deaths involved two-wheelers.
Urban versus rural disparities
Approximately six out of ten road accidents occur in rural areas, and these regions account for seven out of ten fatalities. Since 2014, the number of fatalities in rural areas has been steadily rising (except for a slight dip during the pandemic when lockdowns reduced mobility), whereas urban areas have shown a slight declining trend.
[1] Road Accidents in India, 2022 (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways). The MoRTH collects accident data from state police departments using standardised formats developed under international guidelines.
[2] Sample Registration System Cause of Death Report. The estimated number of deaths is derived by applying the percentage share of deaths attributed to motor vehicle accidents from SRS to the estimated total annual deaths. To calculate the total deaths estimate, we use the death rate from SRS statistical report and population estimates from the Census 2011 population projections.
[3] The number of vehicles in India has been steadily rising.
[4] World Road Statistics 2022, cited in Road Accidents in India, 2023 (MoRTH).
[5] Traffic Crash Injuries and Disabilities: The burden on Indian society, World Bank Report
[6] World Bank Development Indicators. This data used modeling to estimate global road traffic injuries and fatalities based on data from different sources.
[7] Causes of Death (2021-23), Sample Registration System, Registrar General of India.
