Source : PTI | Over-speeding caused 82,124 road accidents in India in 2025, accounting for around 16 per cent of all road accidents, Parliament was informed on Thursday.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said driving on the wrong side and lane indiscipline caused 4,089 accidents, followed by jumping red lights (276) and the use of mobile phones while driving (136).
The number of road accidents in India rose by 5.3 per cent to more than 5.13 lakh in 2025, with road crashes claiming the lives of 21 people every hour, according to government data.
On average, 59 road accidents occurred every hour in the country.
“A total of 5,13,563 road accidents have been reported by police departments of states and Union Territories in the country during the calendar year 2025, claiming 1,83,382 lives,” Gadkari said.
The minister also said that police departments in states and union territories reported a total of 2,85,770 road accidents across the country during the first six months of calendar year 2026.
Among the states, Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of road accidents at 71,387, whereas Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of accident fatalities at 27,550 in 2025.
Responding to a separate question,Gadkari said electric vehicles are increasing due to their lower operational costs and zero tailpipe emissions as compared to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles.
“VAHAN data indicates that EV penetration in India has grown from 0.71 per cent in financial year 2019-20 to 8.26 per cent in FY 2025-26,” he said, adding that as per VAHAN data, the total number of EVs (as on 26-07-2026) is 1,00,23,396 for all categories of vehicles.
