More than 5 lakh road accidents were reported in India in 2015, according to a report titled ‘Road Accidents in India’. 21% of these accidents involved drivers without a regular licence, while 20% of the accidents were head-on collisions.
The report released by the Minister of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), Nitin Gadkari said that total number of road accidents in India have increased by 2.5% from 2014 figures. Furthermore, the severity of road accidents has increased to 29.1% in 2015, from 28.5% in 2014.
1 Out of Every 5 Accidents was a Head-on Collision
Out of the 5 lakh accidents, close to a lakh (20%) were by head-on collision.
Mostly, such accidents occurred in Kerala & Madhya Pradesh (more than 16000 in each state). Close to 18% of all the hit-and-run cases were reported in Maharashtra, followed by 9% in Rajasthan.
Driver’s Fault in 77 Percent of the Cases
In 77% of all the accidents, the driver was the reason for the accident. On the other hand, defects in road conditions resulted 1.5% of the accidents surveyed.
Drunk driving is a prevalent phenomenon in India, and the figures indicate this reality as well. According to the reports, around 16,298 accidents were caused because of the intake of alcohol in 2015.
29 Percent of the Accidents Involved Two-Wheelers
Interestingly enough, the report also said the highest number of fatalities in road accidents is caused by two-wheelers. Coming at second position are accidents involving trucks and tractors.
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