Skip to main content

India's terrible toll

India’s horrific death toll on its roads presents a major threat to the country’s fast economic development. Estimates from the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) suggest that some 130,000 people die on the roads/year, at an average of around 14 deaths/hour. Under-reporting of accidents is thought to be endemic and the figures available exclude the 1.6 million serious injuries that have been estimated by the IRTE. Close to 146 million traffic violations/day occur in the country according to the IRTE
April 19, 2012 Read time: 1 min
India’s horrific death toll on its roads presents a major threat to the country’s fast economic development. Estimates from the 5035 Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) suggest that some 130,000 people die on the roads/year, at an average of around 14 deaths/hour. Under-reporting of accidents is thought to be endemic and the figures available exclude the 1.6 million serious injuries that have been estimated by the IRTE. Close to 146 million traffic violations/day occur in the country according to the IRTE’s estimates, though only 20,000 are booked by the police. A lack of enforcement and support from the state or central governments as well as the non-existence of a proper traffic management system has led to this current situation

Related Content

  • March 4, 2019
    International Road Safety Awards: the winners
    Road accidents are a major blight on the world’s highways - but some companies are attempting to stem the tide. David Arminas reports on the annual Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards
  • May 21, 2012
    India's terrifying road fatality rate
    The fatality rate from road accidents in India continues to be of major concern to the country’s Government, highway authorities and safety campaigners. A report from India’s National Crime Records Bureau has highlighted the scale of the problem. Called “Accidental Deaths in India", this official report reveals that reported road accidents caused on average 56 injuries/hour and 14 deaths/hour during 2009. The fatal accident rate also increased from the previous year according to the report, which says that
  • November 13, 2012
    Latest ITS technology upgrades India's toll systems
    An ambitious programme of new and upgraded interoperable toll systems has been launched in India, featuring far-reaching technology developments. David Crawford reports. In April this year, Indian Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways CP Joshi inaugurated a new era of electronic toll collection (ETC) in India when he unveiled the country’s first RFID-based tolling installation. This was at a recently-completed plaza at Chandimandir, near the city of Panchkula in the northern state of Haryana. The sys
  • November 1, 2013
    World Bank funding to accelerate highway development in India
    The World Bank has approved a US$500 million loan for the National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project in India to improve the national highway network’s connectivity with economically deprived and remote areas. The project will focus on three low-income states, Rajasthan, Bihar and Orissa, and on less developed regions in Karnataka and West Bengal.