Road accidents in India kill more people every year than any war or disease does. India records nearly 5 lakh road accidents annually, resulting in 1.8 lakh fatalities. Also, 66% of the deceased are young people. Road accidents in India are caused by various reasons, and many of them are simply not following traffic rules.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, stated that no war or disease claims as many lives as India's roads do each year. He said that in 2025 alone, 54,132 people lost their lives simply because they were not wearing helmets, while two-wheeler riders account for 45% of all road fatalities. "Every hour, 21 people die on our roads. Such a scale of death is not seen even in disease or war," Gadkari said.
According to the data released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) a few days ago, the number of road accidents in India rose by 5.3% to 513,563 in 2025, with road crashes claiming the lives of 21 people every hour. On average, 59 road accidents occurred every hour in the country. “A total of 513,563 road accidents have been reported by police departments of states and Union Territories in the country during the calendar year 2025, claiming 183,382 lives," said Gadkari.
The minister also said that police departments in states and Union Territories reported a total of 285,770 road accidents across the country during the first six months of 2026. He said among vehicle categories involved in road accidents, two-wheelers accounted for the highest share in total fatalities during 2025, followed by light vehicles like cars, taxis, vans and other light motor vehicles, and trucks. “If two-wheeler users start wearing helmets, then it would help in reducing fatalities and serious injuries due to road accidents,” said the minister.
{{/usCountry}}The minister also said that police departments in states and Union Territories reported a total of 285,770 road accidents across the country during the first six months of 2026. He said among vehicle categories involved in road accidents, two-wheelers accounted for the highest share in total fatalities during 2025, followed by light vehicles like cars, taxis, vans and other light motor vehicles, and trucks. “If two-wheeler users start wearing helmets, then it would help in reducing fatalities and serious injuries due to road accidents,” said the minister.
{{/usCountry}}According to Gadkari, in terms of road-user categories, the share of two-wheeler riders in total fatalities was the highest at 46.2%, followed by pedestrians at 20.6%, those using cars, taxis, vans and LMVs at 12.4%. He said road crashes result in economic losses equivalent to roughly 3% of India's GDP, calling the situation a basic challenge for policymakers. He also outlined a strategy focused on road engineering, automobile safety and stricter enforcement for reducing road accidents.
Besides the practice of not following traffic rules and not wearing seatbelts or helmets, which are human behaviours, Gadkari also identified poorly designed accident-prone road stretches as a major contributor to road accidents and related fatalities. To eliminate these accident-prone road stretches, the government claims to be spending ₹40,000 crore.
The minister also said that MoRTH has identified 100 districts across the country where accidents are most concentrated, and that targeted interventions are underway in these areas. Gadkari said that the government aims to halve the number of road accidents and resultant deaths by 2030. "We are working to reduce road fatalities to zero. Authorities have also identified 100 districts with high accident rates and are targeting black spots for urgent intervention," he said.