Key Facts

About 1.3 million people die each year on the world's roads and between 20 and 50 million sustain non-fatal injuries. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people, aged between 15 and 44.
Over 90% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low-income and middle-income countries, which have only 48% of the world’s registered vehicles.
Pedestrians, cyclists, and riders of motorized two-wheeler and their passengers ("vulnerable road users") account for around 46% of global road traffic deaths.
Road traffic fatalities are predicted to rise to the fifth leading cause of death by 2030, resulting in an estimated 2.4 million fatalities per year.
Enforcement of laws relating to key risk factors for road traffic injuries is poor in many countries.

India has the maximum number of road accidents in the world. At least 13 people die every hour in road accidents, the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau reveals. In 2008, 1.18 lakh people in India lost their lives in 415855 road accidents.
The rate of road accident deaths per thousand registered motor vehicles in each State/UT is 1.3 % and rate of deaths per hundred cases of road accidents is 28.4 %.
Total 100300 males and 17939 females totaling 118239 persons were killed during the year 2008, while traveling by various modes of transport on roads. 25135 persons (21.2%) of these were occupants of ‘Truck/Lorry’, 23552 (19.9%) were riding on ‘Two-wheelers’, 12551 (10.6%) were killed while traveling in buses and 10324 (8.7%) were pedestrians.

As per the figures released by C.I.D, Crime Branch, Orissa for the year 2008; total 8181 road accidents occurred in Orissa. In which 8693 vehicles and 13457 persons were involved. In this period, 3079 (23%) people were killed.
Trucks account for 30% of the total accidents in the State which causes 34% of the total accident deaths followed by 19 % and 10% of the accidents by two wheelers and buses respectively.
Vehicles in the age group of 2-4 years cause maximum no. of accidents i.e. 1529 (19%). Vehicles which are in the age group of 0-6 years old cause 65% of the accidents. Hence new vehicles cause most of the accidents.
About 59% of the total accidents are caused due to the fault of the drivers causing 59% of the accident deaths. Total 39% of the accidents are caused due to excess unlawful speed driving followed by 10% due to consumption of alcohol and inattentiveness.