54,568 deaths in road accidents due to not wearing helmets in 2023

New Delhi – According to the “Road Accidents in India – 2023” report released by the Ministry of Road Transport, 9,489 children under 18 lost their lives in road accidents in 2023. On average, 26 children died daily, accounting for 5.49% of the total fatalities in road accidents that year. Among these, 2,537 children died while driving vehicles without licences, 4,242 as passengers, and 2,232 while walking on roads. Notably, 54,568 deaths were attributed to not wearing helmets.

Key findings:

Child fatalities in road accidents – Compared to 2022, there were 39 fewer child fatalities in 2023. In 2022, 9,528 children died in such incidents.
Hourly road accidents – The country witnessed an average of 55 road accidents every hour, with 20 deaths reported in the same timeframe.
State-wise data – Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of fatalities (13.7%), while Tamil Nadu topped in the number of road accidents for the sixth consecutive year.
Age group analysis – The majority (66.4%) of fatalities occurred in the 18-45 age group. Additionally, 50.5% of the deceased were under 35 years of age.

Additional statistics:

Increase in pothole-related deaths – Fatalities due to pothole-related accidents increased by 16% over the year. In 2023, 2,161 people lost their lives in such accidents, compared to 1,856 in 2022.