• India recorded 1.20 lakh cases of deaths due to negligence relating to road accidents in 2020, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

• As many as 328 people lost their lives every day on an average despite COVID-19 lockdowns.

• As many as 3.92 lakh lives have been lost in three years in deaths due to negligence related to road accidents, the NCRB revealed in its annual ‘Crime India’ report for 2020.

• While 1.20 lakh such deaths were recorded in 2020, the figures stood at 1.36 lakh in 2019 and 1.35 lakh in 2018.

• The country also logged 1.35 lakh cases of hit and run since 2018. In 2020 alone, there were 41,196 cases of hit and run while there were 47,504 such cases in 2019 and 47,028 in 2018. On an average, there were 112 cases of hit and run reported across the country every day in the past year. 

• The cases of causing hurt by rash or negligent driving on public way stood at 1.30 lakh in 2020, 1.60 lakh in 2019 and 1.66 lakh in 2018, while the cases of grievous hurt stood at 85,920, 1.12 lakh and 1.08 lakh, respectively.

Road crash fatalities in India

• India has the world’s highest reported number of annual road crash fatalities. 

• According to the World Health Organisation, road crash fatalities in India account for approximately 11 per cent of the estimated 1.3 million global toll each year.

• Every year, about 150,000 people lose their lives on India’s roads and more than five times that number are injured or maimed for life.

• Vulnerable road users, primarily pedestrians, cyclists and two-wheelers, account for almost 54 per cent of all fatalities and serious injuries. The young, working-age population is predominantly affected. Road users between the ages of 18 and 45 comprise 69 per cent of all fatalities.

• The national highways alone claim one life a year for every 2 km. This is 10 times higher than the developed country threshold.

• The United Nations General Assembly has set an ambitious target of halving the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2030.

• Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3 per cent of their gross domestic product.

Road Safety initiatives

Road transport is the dominant mode of transport in India, both in terms of traffic share and in terms of contribution to the national economy. Apart from facilitating the movement of goods and passengers, road transport plays a key role in promoting equitable socio-economic development across regions of the country. It also plays a vital role in social and economic integration and development of the country.

The ministry of road transport and highways has been making concerted efforts to address the problem of road safety through a series of measures that include:

• Improving road infrastructure

• Road safety audits

• Identification and rectification of black spots on roads

• Strengthening the automobile safety standards

• Organising road safety awareness programmes

• Strengthening enforcement.

What is the NCRB?

• The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), under the Union ministry of home affairs, is tasked with collecting and analysing crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code and special and local laws in the country.

• The NCRB was set up in 1986 to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist investigators in linking crime to perpetrators based on the recommendations of the Tandon Committee to the National Police Commission (1977-81) and the home ministry’s task force (1985).

• Subsequently, the NCRB was entrusted with the responsibility for monitoring, coordinating and implementing the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) project in 2009. The project connects more than 15,000 police stations and 6,000 higher offices of police in the country.

• The NCRB launched the National Digital Police Portal on August 21, 2017. It allows search for a criminal/suspect on the CCTNS database apart from providing various services to citizens like filing of complaints online and seeking antecedent verification of tenants, domestic helps, drivers, etc.

• The NCRB also compiles and publishes National Crime Statistics — crime in India, accidental deaths & suicides and also prison statistics. These publications serve as principal reference points by policymakers, police, criminologists, researchers and the media.

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