Overspeed, Careless Driving Major Causes of Road Accidents: NCRB Report
News 18Over-speeding and careless driving were the two major causes of road accidents that claimed 87,050 and 42,853 lives, respectively, in the country in 2021. Overall, poor weather conditions, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and mechanical defects in vehicles caused 3.5 per cent,1.9 per cent and 1.3 per cent of total deaths, respectively, in 2021. Careless driving and overtaking caused maximum fatalities in Uttar Pradesh which accounted for 26.8 per cent of total deaths, followed by Rajasthan – 10 per cent, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Uttar Pradesh followed by Tamil Nadu have reported 24.4 per cent and 9.4 per cent of total deaths due to road accidents near schools or college or other educational institutes in urban area respectively. Uttar Pradesh also reported the highest fatalities due to road accidents at places near residential areas accounting for 18.0 per cent of total such deaths during 2021.