India: Over 150,000 dead in road accidents during 2016

Event

Indian government officials released a report on Wednesday, September 6, detailing the number of road accidents throughout Indian territory in 2016. The report found that 151,000 people died in traffic accidents in 2016, a 1.51 percent increase from 2015. However, the total number of road accidents declined by over 4 percent to 481,000, leading to 495,000 injuries. A large portion of accidents took place at road junctions.

Context

India has a high traffic fatality rate due to the poor condition of many of its roads as well as a general lack of compliance to traffic laws.

Advice

Individuals should exercise caution when traveling via automobile on both highways and urban roads.