India's Road Accident Surge: A Looming Threat
India saw a significant rise in road accidents in 2023, with 4.8 lakh incidents and fatalities peaking at 20 per hour. The majority of victims were young adults, and National Highways witnessed the highest accident rate. Over-speeding remained the predominant cause of these tragic events.
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The 2023 report from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways reveals a startling 4.2% rise in road accidents across India, totaling over 4.8 lakh incidents. Disturbingly, this equates to 20 fatalities per hour, emphasizing an urgent need for enhancing road safety measures.
Young adults, aged 18-45 years, make up over two-thirds of total victims. These findings highlight a critical societal issue, as most fatalities occur within the productive age group of 18-60 years, affecting working families and communities.
Among the culprits, National Highways accounted for the majority of accidents at 31.2%, with overspeeding as the prominent cause. The trend points to a multi-causal issue involving human error, road conditions, and traffic rule violations, signaling a pressing call for comprehensive policy reform.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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