Ministry of Road Transport & Highways -Annual report ‘Road accidents in India — 2021’

About Road accidents in India Report 2021

Purpose: The report provides information on various facets of road accidents in the country during the calendar year 2021.

Data source: The report is based on the data/information received from police departments of States/Union Territories collected on a calendar year basis.

Key Findings of the report

Road accidents in 2021: There was 4.12 lakh unfortunate incidences of road accidents during 2021 which claimed around 1.5 lakh lives. Young adults in the age group of 18-45 years accounted for 67.6% of victims in 2021.

During the previous year 2020, the country saw an unprecedented decrease in accidents, fatalities and injuries. This was due to the unusual outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown.

Major indicators related to accidents have performed better in 2021 when compared to 2019.

Road accidents decreased by 8.1% and injuries decreased by 14.8% in 2021 compared to 2019.

However, fatalities on accounts of road accidents increased by 1.9% in 2021 corresponding to the same period in 2019.

State-wise: Uttar Pradesh retained its top position in road accident fatalities at the national level like in 2020 accounting for 15.2% of the total fatalities followed by Tamil Nadu (9.4%) Maharashtra (7.3%) and Rajasthan (6.8%).

Death due to not wearing Helmets/Seatbelts: At least 8 out of every 10 occupants, nearly 83%, killed in accidents across India were not wearing seatbelts. Also, 2 out of every 3 who died in road crashes on two-wheelers were not wearing helmets.