New Delhi: Roads in India became more deadlier than ever in 2016 as over 1.51 lakh people lost their lives in about 4.81 lakh (4,80,652) road accidents, the Rajya Sabha was informed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir. The minister said that according to the National Crime Records Bureau, there were 4.73 lakh road accidents in the country in 2016, in which 1.51 lakh people died, while 4.85 lakh others were injured. According to the report ‘Road Accidents in India 2016’ released by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways in September 2017, there was an increase of 3.2 percent in fatalities over the previous year, even as the number of accidents declined by around 4.1 percent, indicating a rise in the severity of accidents. Nearly 1,50,785 persons were killed in 2016 as against 1,46,133 in 2015.
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The report further revealed that during 2016, a total of 13 States accounted for 86 percent of the total road accidents in the country. These were Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Haryana. Similarly, another 13 States accounted for 84 percent of the total persons killed in road accidents during 2016. These were Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana and Bihar.
In terms of cities, the fifty Million-Plus Cities (city with a population of one million) accounted for 18.7 percent in total road accidents in the country, 11.8 percent in total persons killed in road accidents and 16.7 percent in total persons injured in road accidents. Among cities, the report noted with concern that Chennai had the highest number of road accidents (7,486) while Delhi had the highest number of deaths (1,591) due to road accidents. Accident severity for the combined 50 Million Cities was 19.8 in 2016 as against 14.9 per cent in 2015.
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The report also noted that the age profile of road accident victims for 2016 reveals that the youth of age group 18 – 35 years accounted for 46.3 percent (69,851 persons) and age group of 18-45 accounted for a share of 68.6 percent (1,03,409 persons) and working age group of 18-60 accounted for a share of 83.3 percent (1,25,583 persons) in the total road accident fatalities.
While replying to a written question, Mr Ahir also stated that the number of cases of accidents and deaths on national highways during 2016 were 1.35 lakh and 52,103, respectively.
Among the vehicle categories, two wheelers accounted for the highest share in total number of road accidents (33.8 percent), followed by cars, jeeps and taxis (23.6 percent), trucks, tempos, tractors and other articulated vehicles (21.0 percent), buses (7.8 percent), auto-rickshaws (6.5 percent) and other motor vehicles (2.8 percent). The share of two wheelers in total road accidents has increased from 28.8 percent in 2015 to 33.8 percent in 2016.
Based on the data reported by Police, the drivers’ fault is single most important factor responsible for road accidents (84 percent), killings (80.3 percent) and injuries (83.9) on all roads in the country during 2016. Furthermore, the intake of alcohol or drugs by drivers resulted in 14,894 road accidents (3.7 percent) and 6,131 fatalities (5.1 percent).
The report also noted that the act of talking on mobile phones while driving has resulted in 4, 976 road accidents, 2,138 deaths and injuries to 4,746 persons during the calendar year 2016.
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