75% of MP road crash deaths involve without helmet riders:State loses over Rs 38k crore yearly, ranked 4th in India in fatalities 2 yrs ago

Nearly 14,000 people die every year in road accidents in Madhya Pradesh, with 53 percent of these fatalities involving two-wheeler riders. A major reason behind these deaths is riders not wearing helmets. Research by IIT Madras on road accidents in MP revealed that 75 percent of two-wheeler rider deaths occur due to the absence of helmets. The research highlighted a severe road safety crisis in the state, where close to 14,700 people lost their lives in 2024. Road accident death tally spikes 2.4% in 2024 from 2023 According to the statistics provided to Bhaskar English by the Police Transportation Research Institute (PTRI), a wing of the Madhya Pradesh Police Headquarters (PHQ), here’s a sneak peek into the number of road accidents in MP and fatalities caused due to the same, within the past two years. Annual economic loss exceeds ₹38,000 crore According to the IIT Madras report, the annual financial loss caused by road accidents in Madhya Pradesh ranges between Rs 14,308 crore and Rs 38,055 crore. Notably, MP ranked fourth in India for the highest number of road accidents in 2023. Experts attributed the high fatality rate to poor road discipline, lack of helmets, and insufficient enforcement of traffic rules. Women accounted for 15% of road fatalities In the state, women make up 15 percent of fatalities caused by road accidents. In 2023, a total of 2,165 women lost their lives in road crashes, while 11,633 men, or 84.4 percent, were victims. During the same period, 4,476 people, or 32 percent of deaths, occurred on national highways. State highways saw 2,960 deaths, accounting for 22 percent, while 6,362 people died on other roads. A large proportion of deaths occurred on major roads, with 32% on national highways (4,476 deaths) and 22% on state highways (2,960 deaths). Another 6,362 deaths took place on other roads across the state. Working-age group the most affected one Around 75% of all victims were aged between 18 and 45 years, the state’s prime earning population. Within this group, 24% were aged 18–25, 20% were 25–35, and 22% were 35–45 years old. Black spots being identified- MP CS Madhya Pradesh’s Chief Secretary (CS), Anurag Jain said on the issue that road safety depends on five pillars: engineering, enforcement, education, emergency response, and insurance, all of which must work together. He stated that a collaborative effort is essential to make roads safer. Jain highlighted that the central government is launching a new emergency response system, ensuring accident alerts reach hospitals immediately. Under this scheme, treatment for the first seven days after an accident will be provided free of cost, up to Rs 1.5 lakh. The Chief Secretary urged all government departments and citizens to turn road safety into a mass movement, stressing that even small precautions by individuals can save thousands of lives. Principal Secretary of the Public Works Department (PwD), Sukhveer Singh also commented, saying, “The short-term corrective measures have been completed, and the long-term improvements have been scheduled by 2027–2028.”