The number of road accidents in the first six months of the year (January to June) were around 1,60,000, 35% less than the average number of accidents reported in the corresponding period in the previous six years, an obvious result of a nationwide lockdown imposed in March to slow the spread of the Covid-19 infection. The number of people who died also dropped by 30% this year.
The information on the accidents was provided by the government in Parliament on Thursday.
On an average, nearly 2,48,000 road accidents were reported between January and June each year between 2014 and 2019. The month-wise breakup of accidents for the previous years is from annual reports on road accidents published by the ministry of road transport and highways, and annual reports on accidental deaths and suicides published by the ministry of home affairs. (See chart 1) There was a drop in the number of road accidents between 2019 and 2020 in all states and union territories except three small northeastern states – Meghalaya, Sikkim and Nagaland. Among big states, the largest percentage drop in the number of road accidents was seen in Karnataka (48%). Delhi reported a 46% drop in accidents this year. (See chart 2)
The 68-day long nationwide lockdown imposed in the last week of March, reduced traffic and mobility in the months of April and May. Even in June, many parts of the country were under localised lockdowns, and many business, merchant and recreational establishments continued to be closed. The number of accidents from April to June this year (50,336) was 55% less than the corresponding number last year (1,12,215).
In terms of fatalities in road accidents, 56,288 people died in the first six months of this year compared to 79,678 in the same period last year, a drop of about 30%.
In the April to June period, the number of fatalities in road accidents dropped by nearly 51% compared to the same period in 2019, which is about 20,000 less fatalities.
Source: HindustanTimes