Himachal: Length minuscule, rate of accidents, deaths high on national highways
In 2024, as much as 47.7% of total accidents & 35.9% deaths occurred on NHs
Even though National Highways constitute just around 6 per cent of the total 42,779 km road length in Himachal, these accounts for disproportionately high number of road accidents and deaths. In 2024, as much as 47.7 per cent of the total accidents and 35.9 per cent deaths occurred on national highways.
“Given the minuscule length of national highways in the state, the rate of accidents and deaths is quite high,” admitted an official of the Transport Department. “The major reason for accidents and deaths is the load on national highways. The volume of traffic on national highways is much higher than on state highways and other roads. Apart from locals, the majority of tourists move on national highways,” the official said.
On the state highways, the number of accidents and deaths in 2024 was roughly 15 per cent. Other roads accounted for 36.6 per cent accidents and 49.4 per cent fatalities.
Compared to urban areas, the roads in rural areas recorded a lot more accidents and fatalities. In 2024, as many as 38 per cent accidents occurred in urban areas while 62 per cent occurred in rural areas. Incidentally, the urban-rural gap in terms of accidents was much higher in 2021, when just 15 per cent of the accidents occurred in urban areas and 85 per cent in rural areas. This rural-urban divide is steadily narrowing down.
The road accident severity, however, is rising consistently over the last couple of years. The road accident severity reveals the number of persons killed per 100 accidents. From 39.7 in 2022, it rose to 41.1 last year. The average national road accident severity was 36 in 2023. Among the districts in the state, Kinnaur and Chamba had the highest road accident severity in 2024 – it was 97.1 for Kinnaur and 83.5 for Chamba. In terms of accidents, Shimla and Mandi districts are on top of the list. As many as 268 accidents, causing 102 deaths, occurred in Shimla, while Mandi saw 250 accidents, causing 93 deaths.
As far as the causes of road accidents are concerned, over-speeding and drunk driving top the list.
