Representative photo: PTI
NEW DELHI: A total of 4.37.396 road accidents were recorded across India in 2019, resulting in the death of 1,54,732 people and the injury of another 4,39,262, according to the latest National Office of Criminal Records (NCRB) data.
In addition, the majority (59.6 percent) of traffic accidents were due to “speeding”, which caused 86,241 deaths and left 2.71,581 injured, according to the data.
In 2018, Indian had reported 1,52,780 deaths in traffic accidents, while the figures stood at 1,50,093 in 2017, it showed.
In total, in 2019, India reported 4,21,959 accidental deaths in various categories such as road accidents, forces of nature, negligent human conduct, up from 4,11,104 in 2018 and 3,96,584 in 2017, the data showed.
According to statistics, 38% of traffic accident victims were drivers of “two-wheelers”, followed by trucks or lorries, cars and buses, representing 14.6%, 13.7% and 5.9 % respectively.
Dangerous or careless driving or overtaking contributed to 25.7 percent of traffic accidents that caused 42,557 deaths and 1,06,555 injuries, said the NCRB, which reports to the Union Ministry of the Interior.
Only 2.6% of traffic accidents were due to bad weather conditions, he added.
The data showed that 59.5 percent of traffic accidents were reported in rural zones (2.60.379 cases) and 40.5% in urban areas (1.77.017 cases), while 29.9% (1.30.943 cases of 4.37.396 cases) were reported near residential areas.
The NCRB also covered railway and accidents at railroad crossings in its data published annually.
A total of 27,987 cases of rail accidents were reported during 2019 that left 3,569 injured and 24,619 dead, the data showed.
The majority (76.3 percent) of the cases of rail accidents were reported in “Train falls or collision with people on the track” (21,361 of 27,987), it added.
The previous year a total of 1,788 cases of accidents were reported at railroad crossings that caused 1,762 deaths and left 165 injuries.
Uttar Pradesh reported the maximum number of such incidents (851 of 1,788 cases) accounting for 47.5 percent of these accidents, the data showed.
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