20 people are dying every hour

By Nazeer Babu | Master in Emergency & Critical Care-20 years experience in EMS

Recently, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released the Road Accidents in the Country 2023 report. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has revealed that 20+ road accident deaths are happening every hour in the country, and the number of road accidents in the country has increased by 4.2 percent to 4.8 lakh in the year 2023. The statistics reveal that 20+ people are dying every hour on the country's roads, with an average of 55 accidents (only those recorded in 2023) and 4,80,583 road accidents have occurred, 1,72,890 of these accidents have resulted in deaths, and more than 4.62 lakh people have been injured. The report said that 63,112 (36.5%) of the road accident deaths this year occurred on national highways, 39,49 (22.8%) on state highways, and 70,339 (40.7%) on other roads.

The report said that the highest number of accidents occurred on national highways in Tamil Nadu, while the highest number of road accident deaths occurred in Uttar Pradesh. 66.4% of the accident deaths were between the ages of 18 and 45, and 83.4% were between the ages of 18 and 60. Overspeeding was the cause of 68% of the deaths, and half of the accidents occurred in places where there was no human traffic nearby, and most of the deaths were due to the victims not receiving proper emergency medical services at the right time.In terms of vehicles, two-wheelers are the most common cause of accidents. Especially due to speeding, talking on the phone, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving on the wrong route, riding a two-wheeler without wearing a helmet, both the driver and the person sitting behind, reckless driving, driving without wearing a seat belt in four-wheelers... Some of the important ones are

Implications & Need for Action:

These numbers highlight a public health crisis and demand immediate action:

• Stronger enforcement of traffic laws
• Awareness campaigns focusing on:
  • Helmet and seatbelt use
  • Dangers of overspeeding and distracted driving
• Improving emergency response systems
• Enhancing road design and signage
• Mandatory driver education programs