67% of road fatalities in 2024 were pedestrians and two-wheeler riders, ministry report

NEW DELHI: Nearly 67% — or two out of every three people killed on Indian roads in 2024 — were two-wheeler riders or pedestrians, according to the latest report published by the road transport ministry on Thursday. In absolute numbers, a total of 1.28 lakh two-wheeler riders and pedestrians lost their lives in road crashes.

This number is higher than the data published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which released its report on road accidents more than a month ago. The NCRB report recorded nearly 1.1 lakh fatalities among pedestrians and two-wheeler riders in 2024.

Road safety experts said that while the significant discrepancy between the NCRB and road transport ministry’s data remains a concern, the overall trend clearly shows that pedestrians and two-wheeler riders continue to be the most vulnerable road users in India.

According to the ministry's data, 81,740 two-wheeler riders died in road crashes in 2024, an increase of 5.5% compared to 2023. The number of pedestrian fatalities rose by 2.6%, claiming 36,526 lives.

As per the “Road Accidents in India” report, on an average 1,336 road crashes and 485 deaths were reported daily in 2024, which translates to 56 accidents and 20 deaths every hour in the country. Speeding was the most important traffic rule violation during 2024, accounting for 1.24 lakh fatalities, which was 70.3% of all road deaths.

People in the 18-45 age group accounted for 66.1% of total road deaths in 2024, indicating road crashes remain the biggest cause of fatalities among youth.

The report also highlights how National Highways and State Highways, which have barely 5% of country’s entire road network, have a 58.6% share of all road deaths in the country. “64,772 (36.6%) fatalities were reported on National Highways, 39,277 (22.2%) on State Highways and 73,126 (41.3%) on other roads. Out of the total 1,64,378 fatal accidents reported during the year, 59,043 (35.9%) were on National Highways, 36,392 (22.1%) were on State Highways and 68,943 (41.9%) were on other roads,” the report said.

Among states, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 24,118 deaths (13.6%), followed by Tamil Nadu with 18,449 deaths (10.4%) and Maharashtra with 15,715 deaths (8.9%).