Using mobile phones while driving has caused four times more deaths than red light jumping, according to a new study. The study, conducted by the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Centre at IIT Delhi, analysed government data on traffic accidents and fatalities, particularly focusing on national highways. Data show a concerning rise in road traffic deaths, with 61,038 fatalities in 2022, up from 56,000 in the previous year.
The findings were presented on Tuesday at Safety 2024, a global conference on injury prevention and safety promotion.
Major Causes of Road Fatalities in 2022:
Speeding: 45,928 deaths
Driving on the wrong side: 3,544 deaths
Drunk driving: 1,503 deaths
Driving while using a mobile phone: 1,132 deaths
Red light jumping: 271 deaths
Other reasons: 8,660 deaths
The researchers noted that while speeding is the primary cause of road fatalities globally, there has been a 21 per cent rise in deaths due to risky behaviours like mobile phone usage and driving on the wrong side of the road.
Data also reveal that mobile phone use caused 1,040 deaths in 2021, and the number rose to 1,132 in 2022.
In contrast, deaths due to red light jumping rose from 222 in 2021 to 271 in 2022.
The study also pointed out that National Highways, which make up only 2.1 per cent of the country’s total road length, account for the highest number of road fatalities, with 45 deaths per 100 km in 2022. State highways, by comparison, recorded 23 deaths per 100 km.
A national strategy document prepared by the Union Health Ministry revealed that Tamil Nadu, Ladakh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka had the highest road traffic deaths per lakh population. The document called for targeted interventions in these regions to reduce fatalities.
Saima Wazed, Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia, stressed the need for road networks to prioritise the safety of vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and two or three-wheelers, who constitute 66 per cent of all reported road traffic deaths in the WHO South East Asia Region.
