Skip to main content

India’s dangerous roads present hazards

India’s road network and poor safety presents a major hazard. Low levels of seatbelt use by vehicle occupants in India has been identified as one of India’s road safety problems. Official data from the Indian Government states that 26,896 people died in road crashes in the country due to non-use of seatbelts in 2017. Of those who died, 16,876 were passengers. Meanwhile a further 61,942 people suffered injuries because they were not wearing seatbelts. And children are amongst those particularly at risk on t
January 17, 2019 Read time: 1 min

India’s road network and poor safety presents a major hazard. Low levels of seatbelt use by vehicle occupants in India has been identified as one of India’s road safety problems. Official data from the Indian Government states that 26,896 people died in road crashes in the country due to non-use of seatbelts in 2017. Of those who died, 16,876 were passengers. Meanwhile a further 61,942 people suffered injuries because they were not wearing seatbelts.

And children are amongst those particularly at risk on the Indian road network. According to new data, over 9,400 children were killed on their way either to or from school during 2017.

Related Content

  • Concern at worsening road safety worldwide
    May 22, 2019
    The latest road safety data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) provides a serious cause for concern. The annual global road fatality rate has increased in the three years since the WHO last carried out a study of worldwide crash statistics. The report says that 1.35 million people are now killed on the world’s roads every year, compared with a figure of 1.25 million three years ago. The problem is particularly acute in the developing world, where increasing vehicle numbers combine with poor levels
  • Safety for Sri Lanka
    April 19, 2012
    Sri Lanka is struggling to deal with a road safety problem that is crippling and killing large numbers of its citizens. In the past three decades over 40,000 people have been killed and 68,440 seriously injured in 1,120,848 road mishaps in Sri Lanka according to official reports. Unreported accidents mean that the actual figures may be far higher however. Young people face particular safety problems in the country and in 2011 225 schoolchildren were killed in road accidents while 4,100 others critically inj
  • Europe’s road safety challenge for the future
    March 2, 2022
    Europe’s road safety challenge is to reduce casualties for the future.
  • India’s road to safety
    September 5, 2012
    India's growth rate is the envy of the world, and its infrastructure is rapidly improving, but its road safety record is the world's worst. Patrick Smith reports on a conference aimed at finding answers to the problems Ambling through the gardens and marble magnificence that is the Taj Mahal or gazing down on the city of Jaipur from the hilltop Jaigarh Fort is far removed from the world outside.