Overview
- Deaths averaged about 485 a day, up roughly 2.3% from 2023, extending a trend that leaves India off track for the 2030 goal to halve road fatalities.
- The tally comes from real-time entries by state police on the e‑DAR portal, while the total number of crashes was not released, with earlier reporting placing 2024 accidents near 4.73 lakh.
- National Highways, only a small share of the road network, accounted for about 31% of deaths in 2024 (around 54,433), a reduced share compared with recent years.
- Geographic disparities remain stark, with Uttar Pradesh recording the most deaths (over 24,000), Tamil Nadu leading in total crashes, and Kerala showing the lowest accident severity.
- Officials say planned steps include AI risk mapping with IIT‑Kanpur plus stricter licensing and a negative‑points system in Motor Vehicles Act amendments, while experts call for tougher enforcement and scientific crash investigations.