India had most deaths in road accidents in 2019: Report

News: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released a report titled “Road Accidents in India”.

Facts:

Key Highlights from the report:

• Road Accidents: The total number of road accidents in India declined 3.86% in 2019. However, India continued to have the most road fatalities in the world followed by China.
• Causes of Road Accidents: Speeding was the leading cause of deaths, while in terms of vehicles, two-wheelers were involved in most road fatalities.
• Road Accidents in States: Most Road accidents were reported in Tamil Nadu followed by Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka.
• Road Accidents in Cities: Among cities, Delhi retained its first rank followed by Jaipur, Chennai and Bengaluru.
• Most Deaths on Highways: The national and state highways which account for just 5% of the total roads in the country, saw the most deaths — 61% of the total.

Additional Facts:

• Brasilia Declaration: It was signed at the Second Global High-Level conference on Road Safety held in Brazil in 2015.The declaration also calls upon countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 which calls to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2020.
• Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan Committee: It was set up by the Supreme Court on road safety in 2014.It has said that speeding is the major cause of accidents especially on straight roads and highways where control on speed is minimal.
• Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020: It was officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010.Its goal is to stabilize and reduce the forecast level of road traffic deaths around the world.

The issue of Road Safety in India – Explained pointwise