U.P. recorded 22.5k deaths in road accidents last yr, 1.3k more than 2021: Govt data

The rise in the number of fatalities contradicts the tall claims of the government regarding the steps being taken to ensure road safety.

LUCKNOW Uttar Pradesh witnessed 22,595 fatalities in road accidents in 2022, recording an increase of 1,368 deaths from the 2021 figure. The death count has been revealed by the latest transport department report, which was accessed by HT. Ironically, the data comes to the fore as the state government is observing a month-long road safety campaign from January 4 to February 5.

The death count has been revealed by the latest transport department report, which was accessed by HT. (Representational photo)

The rise in the number of fatalities contradicts the tall claims of the government regarding the steps being taken to ensure road safety. In fact, Uttar Pradesh has been recording the highest number of road accident deaths in the country for a few years now. This is despite states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh witnessing more road accidents than Uttar Pradesh.

“An increasing number of road accidents despite several efforts is certainly a matter of serious concern for all of us,” said PS Satyarthi, deputy commissioner, road safety. “Now, we will take more steps to provide better and quicker emergency care to victims within the crucial hour, especially on highways and expressways,” he added.

As per the transport department report, a total of 41,746 road mishaps occurred in U.P. between January and December 2022, killing 22,595 people and injuring 28,541 others. A comparative analysis of 2022 figures with that of 2021 shows that fatalities increased last year by 6.4% and injury cases rose by a massive 14.6%. Similarly, the number of accidents shot up by 10.6% over the year.

As per the report, Kanpur recorded the highest of 640 road accident deaths in the state, followed by Prayagraj (603), Lucknow (587), Agra (548), Bulandshahr (542), Gorakhpur (512), and Unnao (510). The highest growth in road accidents was registered by Balrampur (63.4%), Deoria (61.2%), Lucknow (54.1%), and Pilibhit (49%). Incidentally, Lucknow is also the city with a population of over 1 million to have reported the maximum decrease in road accident deaths across the nation.

Among the top-ranking U.P. districts in the context of road accident deaths, only Agra registered a minus growth of 0.2%. It reported only one less death than the number of total fatalities reported in 2021 when 547 people died in road mishaps in the district. Meanwhile, 27 other districts -- including Aligarh, Meerut, Kanpur (Dehat), and Ghaziabad -- also recorded a declining trend concerning deaths vis-a-vis 2021.

Another striking revelation from the report was that the 20 districts that had been recording the highest number of road accident deaths in U.P. for three years continued the trend in 2022 as well, showing little-to-no improvement. “The same 20 districts, barring a few additions and deletions, have reported the highest number of deaths in 2022 also,” Satyarthi added.