Road accidents in India witnessed a sharp rise of 5.30 per cent to reach over 5.13 lakh in 2025, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. These have resulted in the deaths of 21 persons every hour.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed that on an average, 59 road accidents took place every hour in the country, PTI reported.
In 2025, a total of 5,13,563 road accidents were reported by the police departments of states and Union Territories in the country. Overall, these claimed the lives of 1,83,382 people, the Union Minister added.
The report highlights that among the states, Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of accidents at 71,387, while Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of fatalities at 27,550 last year.
Gadkari informed that the government has formulated a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue of road safety based on 4E’s – Education, Engineering (both of roads and vehicles), Enforcement and Emergency Care.
In response to another question, Gadkari said that based on the information received from SIAM, no widespread issues of engine failure or vehicle breakdown attributable to ethanol blending have been reported.
“Certain concerns relating to engine performance, mileage and vehicle wear have been arising largely through public commentary and social media discourse,” he said.
He added that E15+ blended petrol has been in widespread use in India for more than three-and-a-half years.