According to the report ‘Traffic Crash Injuries and Disabilities:The Burden on Indian Society’ released by the World Bank with 1% of World’s vehicles, India accounts for 11% of Global Road Accident deaths & 6% of total road crashes.
i.In India, annually around 4.5 Lakh road crashes take place out of which 1.5 Lakh people die.
ii.The World Bank report was prepared in association with Save LIFE Foundation (SLF).
- According to WHO, India topped the world in road crash deaths with more than 400 fatalities per day and witnesses 53 road crashes every hour.
- In the last decade (2011-20), road crashes were the cause of death of 1.3 million people & has injured around 5 million in India.
- 76.2% of people who are killed in road crashes are in the prime working-age i.e 18-45 years.
- The report puts the total value of Crash costs due to accidents at INR 5.96 Lakh Crore or 3.14% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
iii.Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) is the 8th leading cause of death globally.
Socio-Economic Status & Road Use Pattern:
The report states that there is clear correlation between socio-economic status & road user patterns in low-and-middle income countries like India.
- The report states that Poor People are more likely to be involved in road crashes.
- In India, Vulnerable road users are forced to share space with other less Vulnerable road users.
- The income level of an individual has a direct effect on the mode of transport used, which determines the level of risk faced by a particular road user.
- Daily Wage Workers, Workers employed as casual labourers in Informal activities have been defined as a Vulnerable group in the report.
Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs):
Male road-users of working age (18-45) represent the category of Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) in India.
- VRUs face a large burden of road crashes & account for more than half of all road crash deaths & serious injuries in India.
- Road crash injuries and deaths of individuals impose severe financial burdens, pushing the entire (non-poor) households into poverty and already poor into further debts.
Comparison with Global Level:
According to the report, the Road Crash Fatality rate is 3 times higher in low-income countries compared to high-income countries.
- India’s Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways stated that there could be a saving of INR 90 Lakh per person by preventing deaths and reducing injuries to small minor ones in accidents.
- He also said that the estimated cost of a death in a road accident is around INR 91.16 Lakhs.
- Globally, Road crashes kill 1.35 Million people and injure 50 million people each year (3000 persons each day)
Decade of Action for Road Safety:
- The United Nations General Assembly had declared 2011-2020 as the ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety’.
- There are 2 important targets on road safety in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Other Estimates:
- According to the 2019 World Bank report, Road Crash and serious injury cost accounted for 7.5% of India GDP or INR 12.9 Lakh Crore for 2016.
- According to a study commissioned by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), the socio-economic costs of road crashes stands at INR 1, 47, 114 crores in India which is equal to 0.77 % of India’s GDP.
Recent Related News:
i.On March 16, 2020, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari revealed that the number of deaths caused due to road accidents has been reduced by 10% in India after the Motor Vehicles(Amended) Act 2019.
ii.On 1st September 2020, The National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB), Ministry of Home Affairs released an annual report titled “Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India(ADSI) 2019”.
Click here to read the full report
About World Bank:
Headquarters- Washington, D.C., United States
President- David R. Malpass
About Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH):
Union Minister – Nitin Gadkari (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Nagpur, Maharashtra)
Minister of State – Vijay Kumar Singh (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh)
