Vital Stats
Overview of Road Accidents in India
In 2015, there were about five lakh road accidents in India, which killed about 1.5 lakh people and injured about five lakh
people. India, as a signatory to the Brasilia declaration, intends to reduce road accidents and traffic fatalities by 50% by
2022. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016 has been listed for consideration and passage in the current Budget
Session of Parliament. It seeks to address issues related to road accidents, third party insurance and road safety measures.
In this context, we present some data on road accidents, causes of accidents, and motor vehicle third party insurance.
Since 2000, while road length has increased by 39%, number of motor vehicles have increased by 158%
40,000
-
Road Length
1950-51
2010-11
2000-01
1990-91
1980-81
1970-71
1960-61
-
1950-51
-
10,00,000
National Highways
OPWD Roads
Urban Roads
Registered Motor Vehicles
2014-15
2,000
20,00,000
2010-11
80,000
2000-01
4,000
30,00,000
1990-91
1,20,000
1980-81
6,000
40,00,000
1970-71
1,60,000
1960-61
8,000
Growth of road network from 1950-2014 (in kms)
Registered Motor Vehicles
(in '000 crores)
Road length (in '000 kms)
Increase in road length vs registered motor vehicles
State Highways
Rural Roads
Project Roads
▪
Road length in India has increased from about 4 lakh kilometres in the 1950s to about 55 lakh kilometres in 2015.
Majority of this growth has been in rural roads and roads constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD). Rural
roads account for 61%, and PWD roads for 20% of the total road length. In comparison, urban roads have a 9% share
in the road network. The growth in rural roads may be attributed to schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak
Yojana, which was launched in 2000 and aimed to improve road connectivity in rural areas.
▪
National Highways constitute 2%, and State Highways 3% of the total road length. Project Roads, account for 7% of
the total road length, and include roads built by various state departments such as forest, irrigation, electricity, public
sector undertakings such as Steel Authority of India, and the Border Roads Organisation.
▪
Since 2000, while road network in the country has grown by 39%, the number of registered vehicles has grown by
about 158%. While growth in road network will be limited (due to physical constraints), a constant increase in the
number of vehicles on roads may lead to congestion and road fatalities.
National Highways comprise 2% of the total road network, but witness 28% of the road accidents
100%
Share of road length vs accidents in 2015

While highways (both national and state) comprise about
5% of the total road network, they witness 52% of the
accidents. More accidents on highways may be attributed
to higher vehicle speeds and higher volume of traffic on
these roads.

Road standards, construction, and maintenance is
determined by the authority under whose jurisdiction the
road falls. Various expert committees have noted that the
responsibility for road safety is diffused across various
bodies, and there is no effective coordination mechanism
between these bodies.
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
National Highways
State Highways
Road Length
Prachee Mishra
[email protected]
Other Roads
Accidents
Prachi Mishra
[email protected]
March 28, 2017
PRS Legislative Research■ Institute for Policy Research Studies
3rd Floor, Gandharva Mahavidyalaya ■ 212, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg ■ New Delhi–110002
Tel:(011)2323 4801-02, 4343 4035-36
www.prsindia.org
Vital Stats: Overview of Road Accidents in India
PRS Legislative Research
Accidents per capita are increasing; Goa and Kerala have most share of accidents per lakh population
50
Number of road accidents per lakh population

The number of road accidents per lakh population has
been increasing since 1970s, with an 84% increase from
1980 to 1990.

Across states, Goa had the maximum share in total road
accidents/ lakh population in 2015 for the fourth year in a
row (222 accidents/ lakh persons). This was followed by
Kerala (110 accidents/ lakh persons), and Tamil Nadu
(100 accidents/ lakh persons).

In terms of accident fatalities, Tamil Nadu had the highest
share in 2015 (23 fatalities/ lakh persons) followed by
Haryana (18 fatalities/ lakh persons), and Karnataka (18
fatalities/ lakh persons).
40
30
20
10
2014-15*
2010-11
2000-01
1990-91
1980-81
1970-71
-
* While each bar represents decadal data, the 2014-15 data is only half
way through the decade.
Number of road accidents/ lakh population
Number of persons killed in road accidents/ lakh population
Note: Maps do not include data on Telangana.
Drivers are held responsible for 78% of accidents; 3% accidents are caused by neglect of civic bodies
Causes of road accidents 2015 (in %)
Fault of Driver/Passenger
Other Causes/ Causes Not Known
Fault of Others
Neglect of Civic Bodies
Defect in motor vehicle
Weather Condition
0
20
40
60
80

Majority of accidents (78.4%) are caused due to driver’s
fault. This includes over speeding, driving under the
influence of alcohol or drugs, and hit and run cases.

Other causes of road accidents include fault of others
(7.1%) such as fault of cyclists, pedestrians or drivers of
other vehicles. Fewer accidents are caused due to neglect
of civic bodies (2.8%), defect in motor vehicle (2.3%),
and poor weather conditions (1.7%).
100
67% road accidents take place between 9AM and 9PM; 18-34 year olds most affected
March 28, 2017

In 2015, 17.5% of all road accidents occurred between
15:00 hours and 18:00 hours, followed by 17.3% between
18:00 hours to 21:00 hours. This may be attributed to
more vehicles present on roads during these hours (peak
traffic hours).
03:00 - 06:00
00:00 - 03:00
21:00 - 24:00
18:00 - 21:00
15:00 - 18:00
12:00 - 15:00
09:00 - 12:00
06:00 - 09:00
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Time of occurence of accidents in 2015 (% share
of total accidents)
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2-
Vital Stats: Overview of Road Accidents in India
PRS Legislative Research
Age profile of victims in 2015 (% share of total
accidents)
60%

In 2015, the maximum number of fatalities were seen in
the age group of 18 to 34 (50%), followed by the age
group of 35-64 years (36%).

The World Health Organization has noted that road
accidents are a major public health problem as crashes kill
more than 1.25 million people and injure about 50 million
people a year, with 90% of such casualties occurring in
developing countries.
40%
20%
Unknow age
65 and above
35-64 years
18-34 years
6-17 years
Less than 5
years
0%
With unlimited liability, premium for third party insurance has been increasing rapidly
Number of insurance claims made
80,00,000
Motor vehicle insurance premium earned
40,00,000
60,00,000
30,00,000
40,00,000
20,00,000
20,00,000
10,00,000
0
2005-06
2010-11
-
2012-13
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
Own Damage
Third Party Liability

One of the ways for accident victims to be compensated for road accidents is through motor vehicle insurance. Motor
vehicle insurance has two parts: (i) own damage (OD) and (ii) third party liability (TP). While OD covers for the
vehicle and its physical damage, TP provides for injury or death of others involved in the accident. Under the Motor
Vehicle Act, 1988, third party insurance is compulsory for all motor vehicles.

Between 2009 and 2014, while premium earned through OD segment has increased by 93%, premium earned through
TP has increased by 248%. The share of TP within total motor accident premium earned has increased from 38% in
2009 to 52% in 2014.
Incurred claims ratio for motor insurance is high; claims ratio for private companies has been increasing
Motor vehicle incurred claims ratio
120%

The incurred claims on motor insurance business ranged
between 84% and 103% of the net premium earned
between 2006-07 and 2014-15. This ratio for private
motor insurance companies has increased from 64% in
2006-07 to 82% in 2014-15.

Currently third party insurance has unlimited liability
which means that the insurer has to cover the entire
amount of compensation as decided by the courts.
Compensation amounts are calculated by courts on the
basis of several factors such as age, and earning capability
of the victim, and may go up to several crore rupees.
With unlimited liability, and compensation amounts
increasing, claims being paid by insurance companies
have been increasing. Consequently, insurance premiums
are being increased regularly.
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
Private
Public
2014-15
2013-14
2012-13
2011-12
2010-11
2009-10
2008-09
2007-08
2006-07
0%
Data Sources: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority of India; PRS.
Map visualizations have been made using SocialCops.
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March 28, 2017
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