Road Accident Report reveals that Delhi tops with most fatalities
By Kumar Vikram
New Delhi, October 31: Delhi, the national capital, has earned a dubious distinction as the city with the highest number of road accidents and fatalities among million-plus cities in the country. The recently released “Road Accidents in India-2022” report has laid bare a troubling reality – Delhi’s roads have become unsafe, with a concerning number of people openly flouting road safety rules.
Data from the report reveals that in 2022, Delhi recorded a staggering 5,652 accidents, overtaking all other major cities. Trailing behind were Indore and Jabalpur, ranking second and third, with 4,680 and 4,046 accidents, respectively.
In terms of fatalities, Delhi once again claimed the top spot, recording 1,461 deaths in 2022. Bengaluru and Jaipur followed with 772 and 765 deaths, respectively. These figures highlight the extent of the road safety crisis in the national capital.
The top ten cities, including Delhi, Indore, Jabalpur, Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhopal, Mallapuram, Jaipur, Hyderabad, and Kochi, collectively accounted for 46.37 percent of the total road accidents in the category of cities with populations exceeding one million. At the other end of the spectrum, cities like Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, and Amritsar registered the fewest accidents.
The report further reveals that the number of road accidents and fatalities increased in all million-plus cities, with the exception of Chennai, Dhanbad, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Patna, and Vizag in 2022 when compared to the previous year.
The incidence of road accidents in million-plus cities recorded a concerning increase of 14.0 percent in 2022, surpassing the national increase of 11.9 percent during the same period. Similarly, the growth of injuries increased by 17.5 percent, exceeding the national increase of 15.3 percent in 2022.
The severity of accidents in million-plus cities decreased slightly from 22.8 in 2021 to 22.3 in 2022. This aligns with the national trend, which saw accident severity decrease from 37.3 in 2021 to 36.5 in 2022.
Over the last five years, the top ten million-plus cities have consistently accounted for over 46 percent of total road accidents. With the exception of Chennai, all these cities witnessed a significant increase in the number of accidents in 2022 compared to 2021.
The data highlights a disturbing trend – the total number of accident deaths increased from 15,350 in 2021 to 17,089 in 2022, marking an 11.3 percent rise, which is higher than the national average increase of 9.4 percent. Most million-plus cities, barring a few, recorded an increase in accident deaths in 2022 compared to 2021.
The Annual Report on ‘Road Accidents in India-2022,’ published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, reveals a dire situation on the nation’s roads. The report’s data underscores the need for immediate action to curb road accidents and fatalities, particularly in cities like Delhi, where blatant violations of road safety rules continue to claim lives.
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