4.21 lakh people died in accidents in 2019: NCRB

A total of 4,21,104 people died in accidents due to various causes in the country in the year 2019, data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) revealed.

During 2019, a total of 4,37,396 cases of road accidents were reported which left 4,39,262 persons injured and caused 1,54,732 deaths. 38 per cent of victims of road accidents were riders of two-wheelers followed by trucks, lorries, cars and buses which accounted for 14.6, 13.7 and 5.9 per cent of road accident deaths, respectively.

A majority (59.6 per cent) of road accidents were due to overspeeding which caused 86,241 deaths and left 2,71,581 persons injured. Dangerous and careless driving or overtaking contributed to 25.7 per cent of road accidents which led to 42,557 deaths and left 1,06,555 persons injured. Besides, only 2.6 per cent of road accidents were due to poor weather conditions.

59.5 per cent and 40.5 per cent of road accidents were reported in rural areas (2,60,379 cases) and urban areas (1,77,017 cases), respectively.

29.9 per cent (1,30,943 cases out of 4,37,396 cases) of total road accidents were reported near residential areas.

According to NCRB, a total of 4,67,171 traffic accidents were reported during the year comprising 4,37,396 road accidents, 1,788 railway crossing accidents and 27,987 railway accidents. These accidents caused injuries to 4,42,996 persons and 1,81,113 deaths.

According to NCRB, a total of 8,145 deaths in the country were reported due to causes attributable to forces of nature. Out of 8,145 accidental deaths attributable to forces of nature, 35.3 per cent deaths were reported due to lightning, 15.6 per cent deaths due to heat/sunstroke and 11.6 per cent deaths due to floods.

Bihar (400), Madhya Pradesh (400), Jharkhand (334) and Uttar Pradesh (321) were the biggest victims of lightning deaths.

According to NCRB, causes other than forces of nature which have also resulted in accidents or deaths include deliberate or negligent conduct on the part of humans.

A total of 7,01,324 cases were reported in which 4,12,959 persons died and 4,46,284 persons injured. Male-female ratio in fatalities was 80.9 : 19.1.

The major causes of accidental deaths were (i) Traffic Accidents (43.9 per cent), (ii) Sudden Deaths (11.5 per cent), (iii) Drowning (7.9 per cent), (iv) Poisoning (5.1 per cent), (v) Falls (5.1 per cent) and (vi) Accidental Fire (2.6 per cent).

A total of 11,037 cases of fire accidents were reported in the country during 2019 which led to 10,915 deaths and injuries to 441 persons.

Drowning and poisoning caused 32,671 (7.9 per cent) and 21,196 (5.1 per cent) deaths, respectively, during 2019.

A total of 27,987 cases of railway accidents were reported during the year 2019. These railways accidents rendered 3,569 persons injured and caused 24,619 deaths.

A total of 1,788 cases of railway crossing accidents were reported which caused 1,762 deaths and left 165 persons injured.

Uttar Pradesh has reported the maximum cases of railway crossing accidents (851 out of 1,788 cases) accounting for 47.5 per cent of total such accidents.