NEW DELHI: India has reported an increase in estimated road traffic deaths by two per cent during 2010-2021, with vulnerable road users like motorized two and three-wheelers and pedestrians constituting the total reported traffic deaths in the country, according to a report released by WHO on Monday.According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India reported 1,53,973 road traffic fatalities in 2021. However, as per WHO estimates, the number of road deaths in the same period was 2,16,618, according to the report ‘WHO South-East Asia Regional Status Report on Road Safety: Towards Safer and Sustainable Mobility’ released at the at the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (Safety 2024).The World Health Body also estimated that in India, the highest number of people who died in road accidents were drivers/riders of motorized two/three wheelers, at 45.1 per cent, followed by pedestrians at nearly 19 per cent.This is followed by drivers/passengers of motorized four-wheelers at 12.9 per cent. Cyclists constitute 3.1 per cent of road traffic deaths, while 20 per cent are others. The reported road traffic injuries in 2021 were 3,84,448.According to the WHO estimates, as many as 3,30,222 deaths were reported in the South-East Asia Region (SEARO) in 2021 due to Road Traffic Injuries (RTI), which is equivalent to about 28 per cent of global road traffic deaths.WHO said road safety, a public health and development priority, is crucial to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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