The number of minors killed in road crashes last year increased by 28% while those in the age group of 18-45 years remained the worst hit in such accidents, accounting for more than two-third of the total 1.68 lakh fatalities in 2022.
As per the report on road crashes released by the transport ministry on Tuesday, the number of minors (below 18 years) killed increased to 9,528, 6% of all road fatalities in 2022, compared to 7,764 in 2021.
“While the government has put in place several regulations for safety of minors, there is a need to make them more aware of the risks on road. Even the World Health Organisation has categorised road crashes as the leading cause of death among youths and kids,” said K K Kapila, road safety activist and former president of Geneva-based International Road Federation.
The data collated from all states and Union Territories (UTs) also show that people in their most productive age were the biggest victims of road crashes with around 1.12 lakh deaths. The report also said that the “working age group of 18-60 years accounted for 83.4% of total road accident deaths”.
The government has maintained that the socio-economic cost of road crashes in India cost around 3% of the country’s GDP as it loses large number of young and working persons every year. Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari has called it as “one of the biggest national losses” while urging people to contribute to make roads safer.
