India's road accident deaths crossed 173,000 in 2023; Delhi tops list

Road fatalities in India rose 2.6 per cent in 2023, with 173,000 deaths. Delhi registered the most fatalities, while young adults and two-wheeler riders remained the most at risk

Delhi recorded the highest number of road accident deaths in 2023, with 1,457 fatalities from 5,834 mishaps, making it the worst-affected city for the second consecutive year, according to data released by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

2023 road accidents in India: Key figures

   The ministry published its ‘Road Accidents in India 2023’ report on Thursday. It revealed that nearly 173,000 people died on Indian roads in 2023, averaging one fatality every three minutes. This represented a 2.6 per cent rise in deaths compared with 2022, while the number of injuries increased by 4.4 per cent to more than 460,000.

 

Bengaluru recorded 915 deaths, making it the second-worst affected city in the country for successive years. Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of accidents (67,213), while Uttar Pradesh recorded the greatest number of deaths (23,652).

 

Rise in road fatalities 

Pedestrians made up 20.4 per cent of all fatalities in 2023, an increase from 19.5 per cent in 2022. Deaths among pedestrians rose to 35,221 in 2023, compared with 32,825 the previous year — a year-on-year rise of 7.29 per cent.

 

Two-wheeler riders remained the most vulnerable, comprising 44.8 per cent of total fatalities. Pedestrians were the second-most affected group, followed by occupants of light motor vehicles and cyclists. Collectively, these groups represent the majority of India’s road accident victims.

 

The report further revealed that young adults continue to be the most vulnerable demographic. Individuals aged 18 to 45 accounted for 66.4 per cent of deaths, while 83.4 per cent were within the broader working-age category of 18 to 60 years.

 

Two-wheeler deaths in 2023

 

• 54,568 fatalities recorded for not wearing helmets

 

• 39,160 of them (71.8 per cent) were drivers (not wearing helmets)

 

• 15,408 of them (28.2 per cent) were pillion riders (not wearing helmets)

 

 

Rural–urban divide in fatalities

Around 68.5 per cent of road deaths occurred in rural areas, compared with 31.5 per cent in urban locations. Although national and state highways constitute less than 5 per cent of the total road length, they accounted for more than half of both accidents and fatalities.