New Delhi:

Using mobile phones while driving caused four times more deaths than running red lights, a new study has found. The study, conducted by the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Centre at IIT Delhi, analysed government data on road accidents and fatalities, with a focus on national highways. The data shows a worrying rise in road fatalities, with 61,038 fatalities in 2022, up from 56,000 the previous year.

The findings were presented Tuesday at Safety 2024, a global conference dedicated to preventing injuries and promoting safety.

Main causes of fatal road accidents in 2022:

• Speeding: 45,928 fatalities
• Driving on the wrong side: 3,544 fatalities
• Drunk driving: 1,503 deaths
• Driving while using a mobile phone: 1,132 deaths
• Running a red light: 271 fatalities
• Other causes: 8,660 deaths

The researchers noted that while speeding was the leading cause of road fatalities worldwide, deaths caused by risky behaviours such as using a mobile phone or driving on the wrong side of the road had increased by 21 per cent.

The data also reveals that mobile phone use caused 1,040 deaths in 2021, and that number is expected to rise to 1,132 in 2022.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths caused by running red lights increased from 222 in 2021 to 271 in 2022.

The study also found that national roads, which make up just 2.1 percent of the country’s total road length, account for the highest number of fatalities, with 45 fatalities per 100 km in 2022. By comparison, state roads saw 23 fatalities per 100 km.

A national strategy paper prepared by the Union Health Ministry revealed that Tamil Nadu, Ladakh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka have the highest number of road accident deaths per lakh population. The document called for targeted interventions in these regions to reduce the number of fatalities.

Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, stressed that road networks must prioritise the safety of vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and two- and three-wheeler riders, who account for 66 per cent of all reported road fatalities in the WHO South-East Asia region.