Overview
- MoRTH figures tabled in Parliament show national highway deaths fell 4.1% to 62,122, reversing several years of post‑pandemic increases.
- The ministry credits a package of measures including blackspot rectification, road engineering upgrades, better signage, tighter access control and expanded speed‑camera enforcement for the improvement.
- State results were uneven: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab recorded large drops in highway deaths while fifteen states and union territories, including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bihar, saw increases.
- Government e‑DAR data identifies overspeeding as the top cause of fatal highway crashes, followed by wrong‑side driving, driver fatigue and mobile‑phone distraction.
- Experts warn the fall on national highways may not signal a lasting trend because accidents on state highways and urban roads continue to rise and sustaining gains will require consistent enforcement, funding and emergency care across states.