In India, on average, 546 people die every day in traffic-related accidents. According to the latest report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 1.99 lakh people died in traffic accidents in 2024, an increase of 0.79 per cent compared to 2023, when 1.98 lakh people lost their lives.
Traffic accidents include road accidents, railway accidents, incidents on railway tracks or railway premises, and accidents at railway crossings. These cases not only have serious repercussions on the victims’ families, but also derail India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth as they affect smooth traffic flow. The socio-economic costs of road crashes alone amount to around 3.14 per cent of India’s GDP.
According to the report, the number of traffic accidents increased from 4.91 lakh in 2023 to 4.95 lakh in 2024, with 4.52 lakh people injured in 2024. The top three states in terms of fatalities are Uttar Pradesh (27,071), Tamil Nadu (20,390) and Maharashtra (19,475), which account for 13.6 per cent, 10.2 per cent and 9.8 per cent of total deaths in traffic accidents, respectively, and collectively account for 33.6 per cent of all traffic deaths in 2024.
In the NCRB, traffic deaths are counted as part of the larger umbrella of accidental deaths. The report shows that the traffic deaths account for 42.6 per cent of the total. This is followed by sudden deaths (16.2 per cent), miscellaneous causes (15.9 per cent), drowning (8.6 per cent), falls (5.7 per cent), poisoning (4.6 per cent), electrocution (3.4 per cent), accidental fire (1.3 per cent) and forces of nature (1.7 per cent). Out of these, only deaths due to natural events like cyclones, floods, lightning, etc., are often beyond human control; the others are preventable.
The report reveals that of the 1.99 lakh traffic-related deaths recorded in 2024, 1.75 lakh (88 per cent) were due to road accidents. No railway accident was reported during the period. However, 17,029 people died after falling from trains or colliding with people on railway tracks, while 5,384 lost their lives in incidents on railway premises, like explosions and fires. And 1,888 deaths were recorded in accidents at railway crossings.
Two-wheelers involved in most fatal accidents
Further analysis of the road death data shows that two-wheelers account for most of the fatal road accidents (84,599 deaths), followed by pedestrians (25,769 deaths) and cars (23,739 deaths). Most of the deaths due to two-wheeler accidents were reported in Tamil Nadu (11,786 deaths) and Uttar Pradesh (8,575 deaths). A large number of deaths due to SUV, car, or jeep accidents were reported in Uttar Pradesh (4,575 deaths).
Cause-wise road accident data shows that speeding is the biggest factor, accounting for 58 per cent of the total road deaths. This is followed by dangerous or careless driving (26.3 per cent), weather conditions (2.9 per cent), driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (1.9 per cent), animal crossing (1.5 per cent), and other causes (9.4 per cent). Most of the road accidents were reported between 6 pm and 9 pm, accounting for 20.8 per cent of the total road accidents.
National highways lead in road accidents
Story continues below this ad
The road-wise classification of accident data shows that while national highways have a share of only 2.1 per cent of the total road length in India (1.32 lakh km out of 63.3 lakh km roads), they account for 29.8 per cent of total road accidents. State highways reported 22 per cent of road accidents, with other roads accounting for 48.2 per cent of the total road accidents.
Suburban rail network and accidents
In cases of deaths caused by falls from trains or collisions on railway tracks, Maharashtra accounted for the highest share at 28.9 per cent of the total. These incidents largely occur in the suburban rail network, where commuters often attempt to board moving local trains or travel on footboards due to overcrowding. The month-wise distribution of this data shows that most of the accidents were reported in October (8.8 per cent). A lot of passengers return to their homes from cities for festivals during this month.
In railway crossing accidents, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala have reported the highest fatalities, respectively accounting for 32.3 per cent, 29.1 per cent, and 14.1 per cent of the total deaths in 2024.
