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News Topical, Digital Desk : The Ministry of Road Transport informed the Lok Sabha that 1.77 lakh people died in road accidents in the country in 2024. This is an average of 485 deaths per day. This figure is 2.3% higher than in 2023, when 1.73 lakh people lost their lives.
National Highways ( NHs), which constitute just 2% of the country's total road network, recorded 54,443 deaths (31%), the lowest share in the last four years .
In a written reply to a question from DMK MP A. Raja, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said that as per data received from states/union territories, 177,177 deaths were recorded in 2024. The data for West Bengal was taken from the eDAR portal.
What do the 2021 and 2022 reports say ?
The government stated that the eDAR system is providing better real-time accident information. However, slight improvements are expected and the figures in the annual report may increase slightly.
The trend of decreasing accidents and deaths on national highways was also shared in the Lok Sabha. Accidents on NHs decreased from 1.52 lakh in 2022 to 1.29 lakh, while deaths decreased from 56,007 in 2021 to around 54,000.
Uttar Pradesh has seen a significant decline in deaths on national highways, from 8,446 in 2023 to 5,524 in 2024. Officials consider this a positive sign, but say more work is needed on NH and state highways, which account for about 55% of all deaths.
Manoj Bhatt, former DGP of Rajasthan , said that while roads, technology, and vehicles are improving, a lack of education among road users remains a major problem. He said awareness, motivation, and strict enforcement are essential. Experts suggested that the government should involve more civil society organizations and non-governmental groups to create widespread awareness.
Meanwhile, the government is launching AI -based mapping with the help of IIT Kanpur to scientifically identify black spots on national highways. This will reveal which areas are the most frequent accident sites and what improvements should be made there.
What is the negative points system ?
The ministry is also planning amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act, which could include tightening the rules for issuing driving licences and introducing a negative points system for dangerous driving, which could lead to licence suspension or cancellation.
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