1.77 Lakh Indians Died on Roads in 2024: Highest Ever Toll, India Far From UN 2030 Safety Target

India witnessed a record 1,77,177 road accident deaths in 2024, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday. This marks the highest single-year toll ever recorded in the country, highlighting the worsening road safety crisis. The figures also indicate that India is at risk of missing the UN target of halving road accident fatalities by 2030, a key goal under the Stockholm Declaration on Road Safety.

According to the ministry, India’s fatality rate stands at 11.89 deaths per lakh population. Comparative global data shows China’s rate at 4.3 per lakh and the United States at 12.76 per lakh. The rising toll in India underscores the urgent need for stricter safety interventions and accelerated adoption of international best practices in traffic management and accident prevention.

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari highlighted ongoing initiatives under the Centre’s four-pronged strategy of Education, Engineering, Enforcement, and Emergency Care. Measures include mandatory road safety audits for all National Highway projects, identification and rectification of black spots, deployment of third-party auditors, and expansion of driving training institutes across the country. The e-DAR (electronic detailed accident report) system has also been rolled out to create a comprehensive nationwide accident data repository.

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Vehicle safety reforms form a major part of the strategy. The government has introduced new norms for airbags, child safety harnesses, reverse-parking alerts, speed-limiting devices, and Bharat NCAP crash ratings. Additionally, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) such as lane departure warnings and driver drowsiness alerts will become mandatory for medium and heavy vehicles from 2027, alongside automated vehicle fitness testing at ATS centres.

Emergency care improvements include a revised Good Samaritan “Rah-Veer” scheme with rewards increased to Rs 25,000, higher compensation for hit-and-run victims, and cashless treatment for all road accident victims. The ministry also allocates 2.21% to 15% of each National Highway project budget for road safety elements, with additional central funds released for awareness campaigns, driver training, and inspection facilities.

The Centre further supports states in enforcement through technology-based initiatives. While law enforcement remains a state responsibility, Rs 3,000 crore has been earmarked under the capital investment scheme to deploy monitoring systems on high-risk corridors. Over the past three years, the government released Rs 68.67 crore to Rs 99.20 crore annually for road safety campaigns, alongside funds for public transport improvement and automated vehicle testing, signaling a sustained push to curb the rising fatalities.

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