India sees record 1.77 lakh road deaths in 2024, fatality rate higher than China but lower than US

Global data suggests the country is on track to miss the UN target of halving fatalities by 2030. (Representative Image: PTI)

India recorded 1,77,177 road accident deaths in 2024, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways informed Lok Sabha in a written reply on Thursday. The figure is the highest single-year toll ever recorded, underlining the scale of the crisis with global data suggesting the country is on track to miss the UN target of halving fatalities by 2030.

"As per the information received from States/UTs, total number of road accident fatalities reported in the country on all category of roads during the calendar year 2024 were 1,77,177," the government informed Parliament.

Responding to the question by DMK MP A Raja, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari cited the Stockholm Declaration on Road Safety, to which India is a signatory, and said the numbers underline the need for sharper interventions.

The India Status Report on Road Safety 2024 has already warned that the country risks falling short of the UN's 50 per cent reduction target in the next six years.

The ministry further said that India's fatality rate stands at 11.89 deaths per lakh population. Comparative figures received from the World Road Statistics show China’s rate is significantly lower at 4.3, while the United States records 12.76. Data for Japan and the United Kingdom has not been reported, it said in its reply to the Lower House.

Gadkari listed a series of ongoing measures under the Centre's four-pronged strategy of 'Education, Engineering, Enforcement and Emergency Care'. These include mandatory road safety audits on all National Highway projects, identification and rectification of black spots, deployment of third-party auditors, expansion of driving training institutes, and rollout of the e-DAR (electronic detailed accident report) system as a nationwide accident data repository.

On vehicle safety, the government highlighted new norms on airbags, child safety harnesses, reverse-parking alerts, speed-limiting devices, Bharat NCAP crash ratings, automated fitness testing at ATS centres and mandatory ADAS features such as lane departure warning and driver drowsiness alerts for medium and heavy vehicles from 2027.

Emergency care reforms include a revised Good Samaritan "Rah-Veer" scheme with rewards raised to Rs 25,000, higher compensation for hit-and-run victims and cashless treatment for all road accident victims announced earlier this year.

The ministry also emphasised that 2.21% to 15% of every National Highway project budget is earmarked for comprehensive road safety elements depending on the project design. Separately, central funds are released for awareness campaigns, public transport strengthening, inspection and certification centres, and driver training facilities.

Over the past three financial years, the Centre released Rs 68.67 crore (2022-23), Rs 85.04 crore (2023-24) and Rs 99.20 crore (2024-25) for road safety campaigns and training, the ministry noted. Allocations for public transport improvement and automated vehicle testing have also continued, with outlays between Rs 14 crore and Rs 38 crore annually.

The minister said enforcement remains the responsibility of states, but the Centre has notified rules on electronic monitoring, issued advisories to boost technology-based enforcement, and earmarked Rs 3,000 crore under the capital investment scheme to help states deploy high-risk corridor monitoring systems.