Road Fatalities on National Highways Decline 4% in 2025, Overall Accidents Continue to Rise: Gadkari

File Photo: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari speaks in the Rajya Sabha, with General (Retd.) V. K. Singh seen seated behind him. On August 5, 2026, Gadkari informed the House in a written reply to supplementary questions raised by nominated member Sudha Murty that fatalities on National Highways declined by four per cent in 2025.

Tamil Nadu records highest number of road accidents, Uttar Pradesh reports most fatalities; AI identifies over 6,300 accident-prone highway corridors

New Delhi: Road fatalities on India’s National Highways declined by 4 per cent in 2025, marking the first annual reduction since the COVID-19 pandemic, even as overall road accidents across the country continued to increase, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday August 5, 2026 .

In a written reply to Parliament, Gadkari said 62,122 people lost their lives in accidents on National Highways during 2025, compared to 64,772 deaths in 2024 and 63,112 in 2023. The decline is being viewed as a positive indicator amid the government’s continued emphasis on improving road safety.

However, the broader picture remains a cause for concern. Police departments across states and Union Territories reported 5,13,563 road accidents during 2025, an increase of 5.3 per cent over the previous year. These accidents claimed 1,83,382 lives, averaging 21 deaths every hour on Indian roads.

According to the minister, 1,43,526 accidents occurred on National Highways during 2025. Data available for the current year up to July 27 shows 77,234 highway accidents.

Among the states, Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of road accidents with 71,387 cases, while Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of fatalities at 27,550 deaths.

AI Helping Identify Dangerous Highway Stretches

Highlighting the use of technology in road safety, Gadkari said accident-prone stretches, commonly known as black spots, are now being identified using Artificial Intelligence-based tools developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.

Based on accident records available through the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) system for the 2023–2025 period, authorities have identified 6,358 black spot corridors across the National Highway network. The government is undertaking corrective engineering measures to improve safety at these locations.

Advanced Traffic Management Expansion

The Centre is also expanding the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) to improve highway surveillance, detect incidents more quickly and strengthen enforcement of traffic regulations.

Gadkari said ATMS implementation has already been approved for 531 kilometres of National Highways, while the approval process is underway for an additional 6,000 kilometres.

Massive Highway Construction Continues

Despite the focus on safety, highway expansion remains a key priority. The minister informed Parliament that 1,191 National Highway projects covering 25,917 kilometres are currently under construction at an estimated investment of ₹7.15 lakh crore.

Vehicle Scrapping Programme Gains Momentum

Under the Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme (VVMP), the government continues to expand its vehicle scrapping infrastructure.

As of July 31, 70,495 commercial vehicles and 3,96,486 private passenger vehicles had been scrapped through Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs). A total of 153 scrapping centres are now operational across 23 States and Union Territories.

471 Highway Bridges Under Repair

Responding to another query, Gadkari said regular inspections are being carried out by agencies including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), NHIDCL, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and state Public Works Departments.

A total of 471 bridges have been identified with structural distress. Repair work has already been completed on 159 bridges, while remedial measures on the remaining 312 bridges are expected to be completed by December 2028.