HYDERABAD: On average, 21 people lost their lives every day in road accidents in Telangana between January 1 and July 27 this year. The state recorded 16,179 road accidents during the period, the seventh highest in the country, claiming 4,452 lives (ninth highest) and injuring 16,043 people.
The data were furnished by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in a written reply to Lok Sabha questions by Naveen Jindal and Gowaal Kagada Padavi on Thursday.
Between 2021 and July 27, 2026, Telangana recorded 1,34,686 road accidents, resulting in 42,742 deaths and more than 1.17 lakh injuries.
Road accidents have risen steadily over the years, increasing from 21,315 in 2021 to 21,619 in 2022, 22,903 in 2023, 25,986 in 2024 and 26,684 in 2025.
National Highways continued to account for a large share of fatalities. Telangana reported 7,505 accidents and 3,010 deaths on National Highways in 2022, followed by 8,103 accidents and 3,058 deaths in 2023, 8,599 accidents and 3,066 deaths in 2024, and 8,842 accidents with 2,805 fatalities in 2025. Till July 27 this year, National Highways in the State recorded 4,522 accidents, the sixth highest in the country, claiming 1,559 lives and injuring 4,439 people.
Age-wise data for National Highway fatalities showed that people aged 45-60 years were the worst affected, accounting for 441 deaths. They were followed by the 35-45 age group (306), 25-35 years (298), 18-25 years (201) and children below 18 years (52).
Pedestrian fatalities have also continued to rise, increasing from 1,310 in 2021 to 1,629 in 2025. By July 27 this year, another 833 pedestrians had been killed and 2,396 injured in road accidents across the State.
The Union government told Parliament it was implementing a comprehensive 4E strategy — Education, Engineering, Enforcement and Emergency Care — to curb road accidents. Measures include mandatory road safety audits on National Highways, identification and rectification of accident-prone black spots and corridors using AI-based tools, improved road signage, installation of crash barriers, promotion of automated vehicle testing stations, and strengthening emergency trauma care facilities.
The ministry also informed Parliament that the PM-RAHAT (Road Accident Victims’ Hospitalisation and Assured Treatment) scheme, launched in February 2026, is being expanded by empanelling more hospitals, particularly near accident-prone stretches, to ensure cashless emergency treatment for road accident victims.