Assam records 36,800 road accidents, 15,163 fatalities in five years

New Delhi, Aug 1: Assam recorded the highest number of 36,800 road accidents from 2019-2023 in the northeastern States, revealed a latest report on road accidents in India released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in New Delhi on Saturday.

In 2019, Assam recorded 8,350 road accidents followed by 6,595 in 2020, 7,411 in 2021, 7,023 in 2022 and 7,421 in 2023.

Tripura with 577 accidents was in second place followed by Manipur (398). The number of accidents have increased in 2023 over 2022 in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura.

In all other North-eastern states, there was a decrease in accidents in 2023 as compared to 2022.

Assam also registered an increase of 10.1% in the fatalities in road accidents from 2022- 2023.

The State registered 3,208 deaths in road accidents in 2019 followed by 2,629 in 2020, 3,036 in 2021, 2,994 in 2022 and 3,296 in 2023.

According to the report, Mizoram recorded the highest accident severity of 90.6 across India which is much higher than the national average of 36 in 2023, revealed the latest report on road accidents in India released by the ministry.

Mizoram is followed by Bihar (80.6) and Jharkhand (78.5) in 2023. About 60% of States recorded accident severity higher than the national average of 36.

“Road accident severity measured by the number of persons killed per 100 accidents had slightly decreased to 36 in 2023 from 36.5 in 2022. Despite some marginal fluctuations, the accident severity had been increasing since 2000. It underscores the need for improved trauma care and traffic calming measures which aim at reducing crash impact parameters,” the report stated.

With 75.3, Meghalaya stood at number five in respect of accident severity followed by Arunachal Pradesh at number eight with 50.5, Tripura with 45.2 at number 14 and Assam with 44.4 at number 15.

During 2023, Sikkim (10.53) recorded the highest fatality rate followed by Bihar (8.96). About 41% of States have a fatality rate above the national average of 5.30 during 2023.

With 7.56, Assam stood at number six as far as fatality rate in 2023 is concerned. Similarly, with 7,421, Assam stood at number 16 as far as total number of road accidents in 2023 is concerned.

During 2023, a total of 4,80,583 accidents were recorded in the country, of which 1,50,177 (31.2%) took place on the National Highways (NH) including Expressways, 1,05,622 (22%) on State Highways (SH) and the remaining 2,24,744 (46.8%) on other roads.

Out of the total of 1,72,890 fatalities reported in 2023, 63,112 (36.5%) were on National Highways, 39,439 (22.8%) were on State Highways and 70,339 (40.7%) were on other roads.

In 2023, under the category of Traffic Rule Violations, overspeeding is a major killer, accounting for 68.1% of the persons killed followed by driving on the wrong side (5.5%), the report said.

Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, said that these statistics underscore the urgency for a multifaceted approach to enhance road safety.

“The Ministry’s commitment to addressing this issue is evident through various initiatives focusing on the 4Es: Education, Engineering (both roads and vehicles), Enforcement, and Emergency Care. The implementation of modern transportation systems, road safety audits, and international collaborations for best practices are proactive steps towards this goal,” he said.

Additionally, the introduction of the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) and automated vehicle inspection centres aims to provide real-time data analysis and improve vehicle safety standards. The collective effort of government agencies, stakeholders, and the public is crucial in reducing road accidents and ensuring the safety of all road users, Gadkari said.

By

A Correspondent