Overview

• Police recorded 4,80,583 crashes, 1,72,890 deaths and 4,62,825 injuries in 2023, up 4.2%, 2.6% and 4.4% from 2022.
• Over-speeding accounted for about 68% of accidents, deaths and injuries, while wrong-side driving made up roughly 5.5% of fatalities and drunken driving, red-light jumping and phone use together contributed under 5%.
• ‘Hit from Back’ was the deadliest collision type at 20% of deaths, followed by ‘Hit and Run’ at 18% and head-on crashes at 16%.
• Non-use of helmets led to 54,568 deaths and lack of seat belts to 16,025 deaths, with young adults aged 18–45 comprising 66.4% of total fatalities.
• National Highways accounted for 31.2% of crashes and 36.5% of deaths, potholes killed 2,161 people and deaths from wrong-side driving and lane indiscipline rose to 9,432, with Tamil Nadu logging the most accidents and Uttar Pradesh the most fatalities as the report was released days before a Supreme Court deadline.