Road accident deaths in India rose to 183,382 in 2025, an increase of 3.5% from 177,175 deaths in 2024, while the total number of road accidents rose by 5.3% to 513,563, the Union government informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday. This means that the number of deaths has increased by 25.5% over the past decade, from 146,133 deaths in 2015 to 183,382 deaths in 2025.
In a written reply to Congress member Benny Behanan, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the death toll for 2025 was also 13.1% higher than the average annual deaths recorded during 2020-24, which stood at around 1,62,182.
Uttar Pradesh recorded the largest rise in road deaths, with fatalities increasing from 24,118 in 2024 to 27,550 in 2025. Bihar also recorded a sharp increase, with deaths rising from 9,347 to 10,397. Other states reporting a rise in deaths included Maharashtra, where deaths rose from 15,715 to 16,756, and Gujarat from 7,717 to 8402.
The response highlighted countries that bucked the national trend. Punjab recorded the largest decline in road deaths, with deaths falling from 4,759 in 2024 to 3,062 in 2025. Arunachal Pradesh reduced deaths from 168 to 83. Mizoram reported a decline from 110 to 51.
Among the larger states, the number of deaths decreased from 6,945 to 6,464 in Chhattisgarh, from 12,390 to 12,146 in Karnataka, and from 7,949 to 7,566 in Telangana. Delhi recorded a decline in road deaths from 1,551 in 2024 to 1,463 in 2025.
The government also admitted a cybersecurity vulnerability affecting electric three-wheelers (e-rickshaws), citing reports from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). Responding to a query by Telugu Desam Party MP GM Harish Balayog, he said the CERT-In found that individuals can abruptly shut down e-rickshaws using the mobile app of the publicly available battery management system, raising safety concerns.
As a remedial measure, CERT-In has identified mobile apps that can be used to remotely turn off e-rickshaw batteries and informed the Ministry of Electronics and IT about them for removal from app stores.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said it had notified draft rules on June 17 to introduce cybersecurity and software update requirements for two-wheelers/three-wheelers, passenger carriers and goods carrier category vehicles. She said the rules are in line with UN regulations and describe cybersecurity management systems and software update management systems. The ministry said that prototype vehicles will continue to undergo testing and type approval under Rule 126 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules.
