What India’s hit-and-run data says about road accident deaths

In 2022, two-wheeler riders accounted for the largest proportion of people killed in road traffic, at 44.5%.

The tragic death of two IT professionals on motorcycles, allegedly hit by a Porsche in Pune, has once again put India’s hit-and-run scourge in the spotlight. And the data paints a grim picture. The rise in such accidents involving pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists has raised grave concerns among authorities and citizens.

Why it is currently making headlines

The recent Porsche case in Pune has reignited concerns about hit-and-run accidents in India. In the early hours of May 19, two young IT professionals lost their lives when their motorcycle was hit by a speeding Porsche Taycan, allegedly driven at 150 km/h by a 17-year-old. The teenager behind the wheel was reportedly drunk at the time of the collision.

Deaths due to traffic accidents

In 2022 alone, 148,716 cases of deaths due to negligence in road accidents were reported. The crime rate was a worrying 11.1 per 100,000 population, according to the Crime in India Report 2022.

Hit and run

Hit and run accounted for 46,907 reported accidents, resulting in 49,893 deaths, with a crime rate of 3.5 per 100,000 population, the report said. With 17,296 deaths, Uttar Pradesh recorded the most hit and run deaths in 2022, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra with 9,073 and 3,632 deaths respectively.

Young adults aged 18 to 45 bore the brunt of road accidents, accounting for 66.5% of victims in 2022. People of working age 18 to 60 accounted for 83.4% of all road deaths, according to the report.

At 44.5%, two-wheeler riders made up the largest proportion of people killed in road accidents in 2022. Pedestrians were the second largest group, accounting for 19.5% of fatalities, the report said.

While hit-and-run is a major problem in India, it is not the only cause of road accidents and fatalities. Data shows that various factors including head-on collisions, rear-end collisions and side collisions also contribute significantly to the overall number.

In 2022, hit-and-run incidents ranked fifth among nine types of traffic accidents and related fatalities.

Distribution of traffic accidents

At least 32.9% of road accidents occurred on national roads and expressways, 23.1% on state roads and the remaining 43.9% on other roads. Of the fatal accidents, 36.2% occurred on national roads, 24.3% on state roads and 39.4% on other roads.

About 68 percent of deaths from road accidents occurred in rural areas and 32 percent in urban areas of the country, the report said.

Vehicle categories

For the second year in a row, two-wheelers were the vehicle category with the most accidents and fatalities, followed by cars, jeeps and taxis.