Representative image (Photo credit: ANI)
NEW DELHI: Speed kills — and it claimed nearly 1.24 lakh lives in 2024, around 70% of all road deaths (1.77 lakh) in that year, while non-wearing of helmet and seatbelt resulted in 39% of deaths (69,088), an indication of how road users’ behaviour remains the biggest challenge to make roads safer.The details of crashes and fatalities of the past five years, which road transport minister Nitin Gadkari submitted to Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, also showed that the trend of “speeding” remains the main cause of fatal accidents. Data showed that speeding was the main reason for road fatalities — its share in road deaths increasing from 65% in 2020 to 69% in 2021 and little over 71% in 2022. While this share decreased significantly to 68% in 2023, it again increased last year.As per the data, Tamil Nadu topped the list among states and UTs with 12,010 speed-related fatalities out of 24,118 road deaths in the state. In Karnataka, nearly 92% of road fatalities (11,360) were attributed to crashes due to speeding. Speeding also had a high share of nearly 81% road deaths (11,970) in Madhya Pradesh.Speeding also has been identified as the main reason for fatal crashes across the globe. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), an increase in average speed is directly related both to the likelihood of a crash occurring and to the severity of its consequences. “Every 1% increase in mean speed produces a 4% increase in the fatal crash risk and a 3% increase in the serious crash risk. The risk of death for pedestrians hit by car fronts rises rapidly (4.5 times from 50 kmph to 65 kmph). In car-to-car side impacts, the fatality risk for car occupants is 85% at 65 kmph,” WHO states.Government data also showed that while deaths due to not wearing helmet and seatbelt remain major concerns, there has been a slight dip in fatalities due to this last year (69,088) compared to 2023 (70,518).
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Among states and UTs, Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of fatalities (7,744) because of not wearing helmets, followed by Madhya Pradesh (6,541) and Maharashtra (5,946). Data showed that while there has been a significant decline in such fatalities in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, these fatalities rose in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.In the case of deaths due to not wearing seatbelts, data showed that Uttar Pradesh topped the list, recording 2,816 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh (1,929) and Maharashtra (1,427). While such fatalities have reduced in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, these deaths have increased in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana.As per WHO, correct helmet use can reduce the risk of death in a crash by more than six times and the risk of brain injury by up to 74%. “Wearing a seatbelt can reduce the risk of death among vehicle occupants by up to 50%,” it states.
