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Pedestrian deaths rose to 35,221 fatalities in 2023 compared to 32,825 in 2022, according to the latest Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ annual report Road Accidents in India 2023. This marks a 7.29% year-on-year rise and highlights the persistent vulnerability of people on foot despite promises of measures aimed at making roads safer for the most vulnerable road user. Pedestrians accounted for 20.4% of total deaths in 2023, up from 19.5 % in 2022.
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Overall, the number of reported accidents in 2023 rose to 4,80,583, up from 4,61,312 in 2022, a 4.2 % increase. Fatalities also climbed, reaching 1,72,890 in 2023 against 1,68,491 in 2022, a 2.6 % rise. Injuries rose to 4,62,825 in 2023, compared to 4,43,366 in 2022.
Two-wheeler riders continued to be the most at-risk group, accounting for 44.8% of total fatalities. Pedestrians were the next most affected, followed by occupants of light motor vehicles and cyclists. Together, these groups make up the majority of India’s road accident victims.
The report also highlighted that young adults remain the most affected demographic. Victims aged 18–45 years formed 66.4 % of total deaths, while 83.4 % were within the broader working-age group of 18–60 years. This pattern underscores the economic and social costs of road accidents, as fatalities are concentrated among the most productive age groups. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways often speaks about loss of 3% of GDP due to road accidents in public forums.
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The distribution of accidents varied sharply across states. Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of accidents in 2023 at 67,213, while Uttar Pradesh reported the most fatalities at 23,652. Among the million-plus cities, which contributed 16.9 % of total accidents and 10% of deaths, pedestrian safety remained a persistent concern. Among cities, national capital Delhi saw the highest number of road accident deaths among cities at 1,463, while Chennai recorded the highest number of accidents at 5,686 cases.
Driving behaviour dominated the causes of road crashes. Over-speeding accounted for 68.1 % of deaths, followed by driving on the wrong side (5.5 %) and use of mobile phones (1.9 %). The report said 67 % of accidents occurred on straight roads, while curved, steep, or pothole-ridden stretches accounted for 14.47 % of cases.
Accidents were most common in open areas (locations which normally do not have any human activities in the vicinity), which accounted for nearly 54% of fatalities, compared to residential and institutional zones.
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