THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala’s commercial and administrative capitals respectively, have emerged as the districts with the most dangerous roads in the state.
According to the department of economics and statistics’ ‘Status Report on Road Accidents - 2025’, these districts have recorded the highest number of road accidents. With Kerala reporting nearly 49,000 road accidents annually, data from 2018 to 2023 show that Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram consistently rank as the most accident-prone, accounting for over a quarter of the total accidents.
In 2023, Ernakulam registered 7,128 accidents while Thiruvananthapuram recorded 5,649. Thrissur followed with 5,003 accidents, while Wayanad (910) and Kasaragod (1,068) had the fewest.
“The data highlights a clear concentration of road accidents in urban and semi-urban areas, which seems to correlate with higher traffic density and population. The variation across districts emphasises the need for localised traffic safety measures and infrastructure improvements,” said Anish Kumar B, deputy director, department of economics and statistics.
In addition to the high number of accidents, fatalities also remain a significant concern.
Ernakulam recorded 459 deaths, while Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur reported 462 and 439 deaths, respectively, during this period. The five-year statistics indicate that these districts continue to have the highest proportion of road accident fatalities in the state.
The report stresses the urgent need for government action to address the rising number of accidents.
Upendra Narayan, an expert member of the Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA), pointed to several key factors behind the increase in accidents, including poor road safety enforcement, dangerous driving culture, and a general lack of road safety awareness.
“Accidents are fewer in the urban parts of Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram compared to their rural counterparts. The high density of national highways and the absence of regular patrolling on these roads make these areas particularly accident-prone,” he explained.
According to the Road Accidents India report, Kerala has the second-highest percentage of road accidents on national highways in India.
The report also noted that the national highways in Kerala have had an alarming accident density of 39 accidents per kilometer over the past eight years.
Former KRSA executive director T Elangovan pointed out that the presence of extensive portions of national highways and vehicle density are the factors common between Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram.
“While death rates have come down, high accident rates remain a concern. The improvement in road conditions should have reduced the accident rates. There should be intervention to reduce accidents and mortality,” he said.