The Transport Research Wing of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways publishes an annual report of accidents, related deaths and injuries, calendar year-wise, based on information supplied by the Police Departments of States and UTs in a set of standardized formats approved by the Committee on Road Safety. Road Accidents scenario in India A total number of 4,80,583 road accidents have been reported by Police Departments of States and Union Territories (UTs) in the country during the calendar year 2023, claiming 1,72,890 lives and causing injuries to 4,62,825 persons. During 2023, a total of 4,80,583 accidents were recorded in the country, of which, 1,50,177 (31.2%) took place on the National Highways (NH) including Expressways, 1,05,622 (22.0%) on State Highways (SH) and the remaining 2,24,744 (46.8%) on Other Roads. An accident, which results in death of one or more person, is a fatal accident. Out of the total of 1,72,890 fatalities reported in 2023, 63,112 (36.5%) were on National Highways, 39,439 (22.8%) were on State Highways and 70,339 (40.7%) were on Other Roads. Out of the total, 1,60,509 fatal accidents reported in 2023, 57,467 (35.8%) were on National Highways, 36,595 (22.8%) on State Highways and 66,447 (41.4%) were reported on Other Roads. Amongst the States, Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of road accidents on National Highways in 2023, whereas, the number of persons killed in road accident was the highest in Uttar Pradesh. In 2023, under the category of Traffic Rule Violations, over speeding is a major killer (68.1%) followed by driving on the wrong side (5.5%). In respect of neighborhoods categories, it reveals that 45.87% of accidents, 53.64% of death and 46.28% of injuries occurred in open area, i.e., locations which normally do not have any human activities in the vicinity. Under road feature category, 67% of accidents took place on straight roads and 14.47 % on curved roads, pothole roads and steep grade. Road accidents have been profiled by road category, type of impacting vehicle, type of collision, age of victim, gender and road user category which inter-alia bring out the following: For the fourth consecutive year in 2023, the fatal road accident victims largely constitute young people in the productive age groups. Young adults in the age group of 18 - 45 years accounted for 66.4% of victims during 2023. People in working age group of 18 – 60 years share 83.4% of total road accident fatalities. Two wheelers accounted for 44.8% of total accident deaths followed by pedestrians (20.4%), cars, taxis, Vans & LMVs' (12.4%), Trucks of (5.8%), Buses (2.3%) and bicycles (2.6%). In the year 2023, about 68.5% of road accidents death took place in rural area where as urban area accounted for 31.5% of total accidents death in the country. Hit from Back' accounted for the largest share in total accidents death (20%), followed by 'Hit and Run' and 'Head on Collision' which account for 18% and 16% respectively. 'Hit from Back' accounted for the largest share in total accidents (21%), followed by 'Head on Collision' and 'Hit from side' which account for 17% and 15% respectively. Accidents under adverse weather conditions such as rainy, foggy and hail/sleet accounted for 15.6% of total road accidents during 2023. To view the Summary of accidents and death trends at the national and state level, click here. Road safety initiatives of the government Several initiatives have been taken by the Ministry which continues to implement a multi pronged road safety strategy based on Education, Engineering (both of roads and vehicles), Enforcement and Emergency Care consisting inter-alia of setting up Driver training schools, creating awareness, strengthening automobile safety standards, improving road infrastructure, carrying out road safety audit etc. High priority has been accorded to rectification of black spots. A major initiative of the Ministry in the field of Road Safety has been the passing of the Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill 2019 by both the Houses of Parliament in August 2019. The aforementioned bill has now become an Act. The provisions of Motor Vehicle Amendment Act 2019 which focus on road safety include, inter-alia, stiff hike in penalties for traffic violations and electronic monitoring of the same, enhanced penalties for juvenile driving, cashless treatment during the golden hour, computerisation /automation of vehicle fitness and driving tests, recall of defective vehicles, extending the scope of third party liability and payment of increased compensation for hit and run cases etc. Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019 The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill, 2019 was passed by both the Houses of Parliament in August 2019 and has now become an Act. The much needed amendments will improve road safety, facilitate citizens in their dealings with transport departments, strengthen rural transport, public transport and last mile connectivity through automation, computerization and online services and provide an efficient, safe and corruption free transport system in the country. Some of the important areas of amendment are as follows Road Safety In the area of road safety, the Act proposes to increase penalties to act as deterrent against traffic violations. Stricter provisions are being proposed in respect of offences like juvenile driving, drunken driving, driving without licence, dangerous driving, over-speeding, overloading etc. Stricter provisions for helmets have been introduced along with provisions for electronic detection of violations. Penalty regarding motor vehicles is to be increased by 10 % every year. The comparative picture of the penalties under different sections is given in the Table below: Amendments in various penalties under Motor Vehicles Amendment Act – 2019 Section Old Provision / Penalty New Proposed Provision / Minimum Penalties 177 General Rs.100 Rs.500 New 177 A Rules of road regulation violation Rs.100 Rs.500 178 Travel without ticket Rs.200 Rs.500 179 Disobedience of orders of authorities Rs.500 Rs.2,000 180 Unauthorized use of vehicles without licence Rs.1,000 Rs.5,000 181 Driving without licence Rs.500 Rs.5,000 182 Driving despite disqualification Rs.500 Rs.10,000 182 B Over vehicles New Rs.5,000 183 Over speeding Rs.400 Rs.1,000 for LMV Rs.2,000 for Medium passenger vehicle 184 Dangerous driving penalty Rs.1,000 Upto Rs. 5,000 185 Drunken driving Rs.2,000 Rs.10,000 189 Speeding / Racing Rs.500 Rs.5,000 192 A Vehicle without permit Upto Rs.5,000 Upto Rs.10,000 193 Aggregators (violations of licencing conditions) New Rs.25,000 to Rs.1,00,000 194 Overloading Rs.2,000 and Rs.1,000 per extra tonne Rs.20,000 and Rs.2,000 per extra tonne 194 A Overloading of passengers Rs.1,000 per extra passenger 194 B Seat belt Rs.100 Rs.1,000 194 C Overloading of two wheelers Rs.100 Rs.2,000 Disqualification for 3 months for licence 194 D Helmets Rs.100 Rs.1,000 194 E Not providing way for emergency vehicles New Rs.10,000 196 Driving without Insurance Rs.1,000 Rs.2,000 199 Offences by Juveniles New Guardian / owner shall be deemed to be guilty. Rs.25,000 with 3 yrs imprisonment. For Juvenile to be tried under JJ Act. Registration of Motor Vehicle to be Cancelled. 206 Power of Officers to impound documents Suspension of driving licenses u/s 183,184, 185, 189, 190, 194C,194D, 194E. 210 B Offences committed by enforcing authorities Twice the penalty under the relevant section. Vehicle Fitness Automated fitness testing for vehicles has been made mandatory. This would reduce corruption in the transport department while improving the road worthiness of the vehicle. Penalty has been provided for deliberate violation of safety/environmental regulations as well as for body builders and spare part suppliers. The process for testing and certification for automobiles is proposed to be regulated more effectively. The testing agencies issuing automobile approvals have been brought under the ambit of the Act and standards will be set for motor vehicle testing institutes. The Act also provides for compulsory recall of defective vehicles and power to examine irregularities of vehicle companies. Recall of Vehicles The Act allows the central government to order for recall of motor vehicles if a defect in the vehicle may cause damage to the environment, or the driver, or other road users. The manufacturer of the recalled vehicle will be required to: reimburse the buyers for the full cost of the vehicle, or replace the defective vehicle with another vehicle with similar or better specifications. Road Safety Board A National Road Safety Board, to be created by the central government through a notification to advise the central and state governments on all aspects of road safety and traffic management including standards of motor vehicles, registration and licensing of vehicles, standards for road safety, and promotion of new vehicle technology. Protection of Good Samaritan The Act lays down the guidelines and provides rules to prevent harassment of Good Samaritan (a person who renders emergency medical or non-medical assistance to a victim at the scene of an accident) to encourage people to help road accident victims. Cashless Treatment during Golden Hour The Act provides for a scheme for cashless treatment of road accident victims during golden hour Third Party Insurance The Act has included the driver's attendant in 3rd Party insurance with no cap on liability of insurers. There will be a 10 time increase in insurance compensation, from Rs 50, 000 to Rs 5 lakh. Claim process has been simplified. Insurance firms have to pay claims within a month, if the victim's family agree to accept Rs 5 lakh compensation. The minimum compensation increased for hit and run cases from Rs 25,000 to two lakh rupees in case of death, and from Rs 12,500 to Rs 50,000 in case of grievous injury. Motor Vehicle Accident Fund Central government to constitute a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India which will be utilised for: treatment of persons injured in road accidents as per the golden hour scheme, compensation to representatives of a person who died in a hit and run accident, compensation to a person grievously hurt in a hit and run accident, and compensation to any other persons as prescribed by the central government. Improving Services using e-Governance One of the major focuses of this Act is to improve delivery of services to the stakeholders using e-Governance which would inter-alia include. (a) Provision for online driving licenses : Learners licenses to be provided online with mandatory online identity verification based on Aadhar card. Driving Licences and driving test of the applicant will be computerized to avoid fake Driving License. Driving test will be computerized to avoid fake Driving license and to bring transparency in RTO offices. Commercial licenses will be valid upto five instead of three years. Application for renewal can be made one year prior to or after licence lapses. Driver Training Schools will be opened so that more efficient drivers may be available. (b) Process of Vehicle Registration: To improve the registration process for new vehicles, registration at the end of the dealer is being enabled and restrictions have been imposed on temporary registration. The vehicle owners may register their vehicle anywhere in the state and process of registration will be done by dealers. Provisions for inspection of the vehicle by RTO to be ensured. Checking of fitness of vehicles will be computerised and laws for scrapping of old vehicle put in place. National Register for Driving Licence and National Register for Vehicle registration through “Vahan” & “Sarathi” platforms to be created to bring harmony in the registration and licensing process across the country. Now since the National Register is in place, transfer of vehicle from one city to another will be easier and the stolen vehicles will not get registered. (c) Drivers Training: The driving training process has been strengthened enabling faster issuance of transport licenses. This will help in reducing the shortage of commercial drivers in the country. More and more drivers training schools and vehicle fitness centres will be opened. To facilitate transport solutions for Divyang, bottlenecks have been removed in respect of grant of driving licenses as well as alterations in the vehicles to make it fit for their use. (d) Reforms in Transportation System: The central government may develop a National Transportation Policy, with the concurrence of state governments. The Policy will: (i) establish a planning framework for road transport, (ii) develop a framework for grant of permits, and (iii) specify priorities for the transport system, among other things. This provision will enable better last mile connectivity, rural transport and development of an integrated Transport System. (e) Taxi aggregators: The Act defines aggregators as digital intermediaries or market places which can be used by passengers to connect with a driver for transportation purposes (taxi services). The Act provides guidelines for Aggregators. At present there are no rules in many states for regulating aggregators, taxis etc. The Act will enable States to issue licenses to the aggregators. Further, the aggregators must comply with the Information Technology Act, 2000. Source: Ministry of Road Transport and Highway