CHAPTER – 1

ACCIDENTAL DEATHS IN INDIA

Incidence and Rate of Accidental Deaths

during the Decade (2001-2011)
The incidence of accidental deaths has shown
an increasing trend during the decade 2001-
2011 with an increase of 44.2% in the year
2011 as compared to 2001. The population
growth during the corresponding period was
17.8% whereas the increase in the rate of
accidental deaths during the same period was
22.4%. The percentage change of accidental
deaths is presented in Table-1.1.
A total of 3,90,884 accidental deaths were
reported in the country during 2011 ( 6,235
more than such deaths reported in 2010)
showing an increase of 1.6% as compared to
2010. Correspondingly, 2.1% increase in the
population and a marginal decline of 0.3% in
rate of ‘Accidental Deaths’ were reported
during this year as compared to 2010.
[Table-1(A)]

Table – 1 (A)

Percentage change in Population, Incidence and Rate of Accidental

Deaths over the corresponding previous year during 2007 to 2011

Percentage Change in
Percentage Change in Percentage Change in
Rate of Accidental
Year Population over the Accidental Deaths over
Deaths over the previous
Previous Year the Previous Year
Year
(1) (2) (3) (4)

2007 1.5 8.3 6.8

2008 1.4 0.4 –1.0

2009 1.4 4.3 2.7

2010 1.4 7.7 6.2

2011 2.1 1.6 –0.3

( 1)
 Figure 1.1
Percentage Change in Population, Incidence and Rate of Accidental Deaths during 2007 -
2011 (Over Corresponding Previous Year)

10.0

8.3
8.0 7.7

6.8
6.2
6.0
Percentage

4.3
4.0

2.7
2.1
2.0 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.6

0.4

0.0
-0.3
-1.0
-2.0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Year

Population Incidence Rate

A total of 3,67,194 (93.9%) deaths were due to 5.5% in deaths due to causes attributable to
un-natural causes and the rest of 6.1% deaths nature and an increase of 2.1% in deaths due
(23,690) were due to causes attributable to to un-natural causes as compared to 2010,
nature, out of total 3,90,884 accidental deaths resulting in an overall increase of 1.6%.
during the year 2011. There was a decline of [Table-1(B)]

Table — 1 (B)
Incidence of Accidental Deaths by Natural & Un-Natural Causes (2007 to 2011)

Causes Attributable to Nature Un-Natural Causes Total Accidental Deaths

% change % change
Year % change
over over
Incidence over previous Incidence Incidence
previous previous
year
year year
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

2007 25,153 17.0 3,15,641 7.7 3,40,794 8.3

2008 23,993 –4.6 3,18,316 0.8 3,42,309 0.4

2009 22,255 –7.2 3,34,766 5.2 3,57,021 4.3

2010 25,066 12.6 3,59,583 7.4 3,84,649 7.7

2011 23,690 –5.5 3,67,194 2.1 3,908,84 1.6

( 2)
 Figure 1.2

Incidence of Accidental Deaths By Natural and Un-Natural Causes

(2007 - 2011)
450000

400000

350000

300000
Incidence

250000

367194
359583
334766
318316
315641

200000

150000

100000

50000

25153 23993 22255 25066 23690

0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Year

CAUSES ATTRIBUTABLE TO NATURE UNNATURAL CAUSES

Incidence & Rate of Accidental Deaths in
States, UTs and Cities (Table-1.2)
Maharashtra has reported 60,515 accidental
deaths out of 3,90,884 such deaths in the
country during the year and remained at the top
with nearly one-sixth (15.5%) of total accidental
deaths reported in the country. Uttar Pradesh,
the most populous State in the country with
population share of 16.5%, on the other hand,
has accounted for 7.7% of accidental deaths in
the country. The other States having larger
percentage share in total accidental deaths
were Madhya Pradesh (9.4%), Tamil Nadu
(8.6%) and Andhra Pradesh (7.8%). However,
Karnataka (6.4%), Gujarat (6.2%), Rajasthan
(5.9%) and West Bengal (5.4%) have also
reported significant shares of deaths due to
accidents during 2011.

Figure 1.3
Percentage Share of Major States in Accidental Deaths during 2011
OTHERS MAHARASHTRA
23.1% 15.5%

CHHATTISGARH
ANDHRA PRADESH
4.0%
7.8%

WEST BENGAL
5.4% MADHYA PRADESH
9.4%

RAJASTHAN
5.9%
UTTAR PRADESH
KARNATAKA
7.7%
6.4%
GUJARAT TAMIL NADU
6.2% 8.6%

( 3)
The highest rate of accidental deaths was Deaths’ than the All-India average of 32.3
reported from Puducherry (88.5) followed by deaths per one lakh of population. The
Goa (75.6) and Chhattisgarh (60.6) against the grouping of the States/UTs as more accident
National average rate of 32.3. prone and less accident prone on the basis
of their rates of accidental deaths vis-à-vis
20 States/UTs have constituted high risk the All-India average rate is presented in
areas reporting higher rates of ‘Accidental Table–1(C).
Table — 1 (C)
State/UT wise Rate of Accidental Deaths in Comparison to All India (Rate)
More Accident Prone Less Accident Prone
Rate Rate
Sl. No. States / UTs Sl. No. States / UTs
(more than 32.3) (less than 32.3)
1 PUDUCHERRY 88.5 1 ODISHA 28.3
2 GOA 75.6 2 ARUNACHAL PRADESH 28.3
3 CHHATTISGARH 60.6 3 MIZORAM 25.1
4 MAHARASHTRA 53.9 4 TRIPURA 24.4
5 A & N ISLANDS 53.4 5 MEGHALAYA 24.1
6 DELHI (UT) 53.3 6 UTTARAKHAND 23.5
7 MADHYA PRADESH 50.4 7 WEST BENGAL 23.3
8 SIKKIM 48.4 8 JHARKHAND 19.0
9 D & N HAVELI 46.6 9 JAMMU & KASHMIR 16.5
10 TAMIL NADU 46.5 10 ASSAM 16.0
11 HIMACHAL PRADESH 45.6 11 UTTAR PRADESH 15.1
12 HARYANA 44.6 12 MANIPUR 12.0
13 DAMAN & DIU 42.0 13 BIHAR 11.4
14 KARNATAKA 41.2 14 LAKSHADWEEP 10.9
15 GUJARAT 40.4 15 NAGALAND 3.6
16 CHANDIGARH 40.4
17 PUNJAB 38.0
18 ANDHRA PRADESH 35.8
19 RAJASTHAN 33.6
20 KERALA 33.3

Figure 1.4
Rate of Accidental Deaths in Various States / UTs

WEST BENGAL 23.3

UTTARAKHAND 23.5
UTTAR PRADESH 15.1
TRIPURA 24.4
TAMIL NADU 46.5
SIKKIM 48.4
RAJASTHAN 33.6
PUNJAB 38.0
PUDUCHERRY 88.5
ODISHA 28.3
NAGALAND 3.6
MIZORAM 25.1
States / UTs

MEGHALAYA 24.1
MANIPUR 12.0
MAHARASHTRA 53.9
MADHYA PRADESH 50.4
LAKSHADWEEP 10.9
KERALA 33.3
KARNATAKA 41.2
JHARKHAND 19.0
JAMMU & KASHMIR 16.5
HIMACHAL PRADESH 45.6
HARYANA 44.6
GUJARAT 40.4
GOA 75.6
DELHI (UT) 53.3
DAMAN & DIU 42.0
D & N HAVELI 46.6
CHHATTISGARH 60.6
CHANDIGARH 40.4
BIHAR 11.4
ASSAM 16.0
ARUNACHAL PRADESH 28.3
ANDHRA PRADESH 35.8
A & N ISLANDS 53.4

0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100.0 120.0 140.0 160.0 180.0 200.0

National Average 32.3 Rate

(4)
The incidence of Accidental Deaths has
increased by 1.6% at National level during
2011 as compared to 2010. Lakshadweep
has reported the highest increase of 133.3% in
2011 as compared to 2010 though the
numerical increase was only 4 (cases). It was
followed by Meghalaya (84.5%), Sikkim
(38.0%), Punjab (28.2%) and Manipur (26.3%),
while Dadar & Nagar Haveli has reported the
highest decline of 39.2% followed by Arunachal
Pradesh (14.3%) and Maharashtra (5.7%)
[Table-1.3]
Males, accounting for 77.4% of total victims,
were at a greater risk from accidents than
females. Though the children’s population (up
to 14 years age), as per mid-year estimated
projection of population of census 2001 for the
year 2011, was 29.1% of the total population,
accidental deaths of children accounted for
6.1% of total such deaths.
Most of the victims of accidents were aged
between 15 to 44 years. This group of people
has accounted for 60.7% of all persons killed in
accidents in the country during the year.
[Table-1.4]
Causes of Accidental Deaths – Table-1(D)
The percentage of ‘Accidental Deaths’ due to
causes attributable to ‘Nature’ and those due to
‘Un-Natural’ Causes were 6.1% and 93.9%
Figure 1.5
Percentage Share of Various Causes of Accidental Deaths during
2011 (Natural and Un-Natural Causes)
By Other Un-
Natural Causes
12.8%
By Electrocution
2.3%
By Falls
3.0%
By Causes Not
Known
5.4%
By Natural Causes
6.1%
By Sudden Deaths
6.8%
respectively. The magnitude of ‘Accidental
Deaths’ by causes attributable to Nature has
declined by 5.5% and that of deaths by Un-
Natural Causes has increased by 2.4% during
2011 over the year 2010.
The share of accidental deaths due to causes
attributable to Nature has declined from 6.5% in
2010 to 6.1% in 2011. The Share of deaths due
to un-natural causes has marginally increased
from 93.5% in 2010 to 93.9% in 2011.Under
causes attributable to Nature, the share of
deaths due to ‘Avalanche’, ‘Cyclone/Tornado’,
‘Earthquake’, ‘Epidemic’ and ‘Torrential Rains’
has increased whereas the share of causes
such as ‘Cold and Exposure’, ‘Starvation/thirst’,
‘Flood’, ‘Heat Stroke’, ‘Landslide’ and ‘Lighting’
has decreased in 2011 over 2010. The share of
causes not attributable to Nature has increased
for causes such as ‘Collapse of Structure’,
‘Drowning’, ‘Explosion’, ‘Falls’, ‘Fire’, ‘Killed by
animals’, ‘Mines or quarry disaster’, ‘Poisoning’,
‘Stampede’, ‘Suffocation’ and ‘Traffic Accidents’
whereas the share of causes such as ‘Air
Crash’, ‘Electrocution’, ‘Fire Arms’ and ‘Sudden
deaths’ has decreased to the previous year.
[Table-1(D)].
The average rate of Accidental Deaths has
marginally decreased from 32.4 in 2010 to
32.3 in 2011.
By Road Accident
35.0%
By Rail-Road &
Other Railway
Accident
7.2%
By Poisoning
7.5%
By Drowning
By Fire 7.6%
6.3%
( 5)
 Table—1 (D)
Incidence, Share & Rate of Accidental Deaths by Causes Attributable to Nature
and Un-Natural Causes during 2010 & 2011

2010 2011 %
variation
Sl. % share % share of
Cause
No. No. (w.r.t. Rate No. (w.r.t. Rate incidence
All India) All India) in 2011
over 2010
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9)
A. CAUSES ATTRIBUTABLE TO NATURE:
1 Avalanche 45 0.0 0.0 60 0.0 0.0 33.3
2 Cold and Exposure 937 0.2 0.1 849 0.2 0.1 -9.4
3 Cyclone/Tornado 106 0.0 0.0 117 0.0 0.0 10.4
4 Starvation/Thirst 210 0.1 0.0 136 0.0 0.0 -35.2
5 Earthquake 8 0.0 0.0 69 0.0 0.0 762.5
6 Epidemic 57 0.0 0.0 127 0.0 0.0 122.8
7 Flood 965 0.3 0.1 585 0.1 0.0 -39.4
8 Heat Stroke 1274 0.3 0.1 793 0.2 0.1 -37.8
9 Landslide 347 0.1 0.0 302 0.1 0.0 -13.0
10 Lightning 2622 0.7 0.2 2550 0.7 0.2 -2.7
11 Torrential Rains 123 0.0 0.0 170 0.0 0.0 38.2
12 Other causes attributable to nature 18372 4.8 1.5 17932 4.6 1.5 -2.4
Total (A) 25066 6.5 2.1 23690 6.1 2.0 -5.5
B. UN-NATURAL CAUSES
1 Air-Crash 23 0.0 0.0 18 0.0 0.0 -21.7
2 Collapse of Structure: 2682 0.7 0.2 3161 0.8 0.3 17.9
(i) House 985 0.3 0.1 1050 0.3 0.1 6.6
(ii) Building 377 0.1 0.0 424 0.1 0.0 12.5
(iii)Dam 15 0.0 0.0 44 0.0 0.0 193.3
(iv) Bridge 49 0.0 0.0 119 0.0 0.0 142.9
(v) Others 1256 0.3 0.1 1524 0.4 0.1 21.3
3 Drowning: 28001 7.3 2.4 29708 7.6 2.5 6.1
(i) Boat Capsize 760 0.2 0.1 849 0.2 0.1 11.7
(ii) Other Cases 27241 7.1 2.3 28859 7.4 2.4 5.9
4 Electrocution: 9059 2.4 0.8 8945 2.3 0.7 -1.3
5 Explosion: 493 0.1 0.0 532 0.1 0.0 7.9
(i) Bomb explosion 112 0.0 0.0 149 0.0 0.0 33.0
(ii) Other explosion (Boilers etc.) 381 0.1 0.0 383 0.1 0.0 0.5
6 Falls: 11571 3.0 1.0 11867 3.0 1.0 2.6
(i) Fall from Height 9828 2.6 0.8 10020 2.6 0.8 2.0
(ii) Fall into Pit/Manhole etc. 1743 0.5 0.1 1847 0.5 0.2 6.0
7 Factory/Machine Accidents 1043 0.3 0.1 1091 0.3 0.1 4.6
8 Fire: 24414 6.3 2.1 24576 6.3 2.0 0.7
(i) Fireworks/Crackers 276 0.1 0.0 237 0.1 0.0 -14.1
(ii) Short-Circuit 1312 0.3 0.1 1523 0.4 0.1 16.1
(iii) Gas Cylinder/Stove Burst 4820 1.3 0.4 4005 1.0 0.3 -16.9
(iv) Other Fire Accidents 18006 4.7 1.5 18811 4.8 1.6 4.5
9 Fire-Arms 1688 0.4 0.1 1250 0.3 0.1 -25.9
10 Sudden Deaths: 27364 7.1 2.3 26649 6.8 2.2 -2.6
(i) Heart Attacks 17563 4.6 1.5 16565 4.2 1.4 -5.7
(ii) Epileptic Fits/Giddiness 4130 1.1 0.3 4656 1.2 0.4 12.7
(iii) Abortions/Child Birth 785 0.2 0.1 881 0.2 0.1 12.2
(iv) Influence of Alcohol 4886 1.3 0.4 4547 1.2 0.4 -6.9
11 Killed by animals 981 0.3 0.1 1233 0.3 0.1 25.7
12 Mines or quarry disaster 355 0.1 0.0 385 0.1 0.0 8.5
13 Poisoning: 28012 7.3 2.4 29478 7.5 2.4 5.2
(i) Food Poisoning/Accidental Intake of
9437 2.5 0.8
Insecticide 8972 2.3 0.7 -4.9
(ii) Spurious/poisonous liquor 1202 0.3 0.1 1435 0.4 0.1 19.4
(iii) Leakage of poisonous gases Etc. 154 0.0 0.0 181 0.0 0.0 17.5
(iv) Snake Bite/Animal Bite 8639 2.2 0.7 8590 2.2 0.7 -0.6
(v) Other 8580 2.2 0.7 10300 2.6 0.9 20.0
14 Stampede 113 0.0 0.0 489 0.1 0.0 332.7
15 Suffocation 1400 0.4 0.1 2013 0.5 0.2 43.8
16 Traffic Accidents: 161736 42.0 13.6 165072 42.2 13.6 2.1
(i) Road Accidents 133938 34.8 11.3 136834 35.0 11.3 2.2
(ii) Rail-Road Accidents 3347 0.9 0.3 2366 0.6 0.2 -29.3
(iii) Other Railway Accidents 24451 6.4 2.1 25872 6.6 2.1 5.8
17 Other Causes 40057 10.4 3.4 39473 10.1 3.3 -1.5
18 Causes Not Known 20591 5.4 1.7 21254 5.4 1.8 3.2
Total (B) 359583 93.5 30.3 367194 93.9 30.3 2.1
Grand Total (A+B) 384649 100.0 32.4 390884 100.0 32.3 1.6

( 6)
Causes Attributable to Nature
The age group-wise distribution of accidental
deaths by causes attributable to nature is given
in Table-1.5. 75.8% victims of causes
attributable to nature were males. Age-wise,
5.8% of such victims were up to 14 years of
age while 55.0% were in the age-group of 15-
44 years. 24.6% such victims were in the age-
group 45-59 years. Senior citizens (60 yrs. and
above) constituted 14.6% of the total such
victims.
14.2% deaths were reported from West Bengal
followed by Rajasthan (10.8%), Karnataka
(10.7%) and Uttar Pradesh (8.0%) (Table-
1.10). 100% deaths in Chandigarh, 18.9%
deaths in Punjab, 15.5% deaths in Haryana
and 10.1% deaths in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
(each) were due to 'Cold and Exposure' only.
100% deaths in Puducherry were claimed by
‘Cyclone/Tornado’. 5.9% deaths in Haryana
followed by 3.6% deaths in Punjab were due to
‘Starvation/Thirst’. ‘Earthquake’ in Sikkim
accounted for 54.3% deaths. 28.6% deaths in
Assam, 23.6% deaths in Maharashtra and
10.8% deaths in Bihar were due to 'Flood'.
‘Heat Stroke’ claimed 20.1% and 17.6% deaths
in Andhra Pradesh and Punjab respectively.
100% deaths in Manipur, 23.9% deaths in
Sikkim, 12.3% deaths in Arunachal Pradesh
and 12.2% deaths in Uttarakhand were due to
'Landslide'. 'Lightning' accounted for 86.5%
deaths in Kerala, 70.5% deaths in Chattisgarh,
54.3% deaths in Maharashtra and 45.1%
deaths in Madhya Pradesh.
Un-natural Causes
It is generally accepted that accidents due to
‘Un-Natural Causes’ are preventable in nature
and can be reduced by effective safety
measures—safety consciousness, effective
human interventions, etc. A total of 6,94,390
cases of ‘Un-Natural Accidents’ caused
3,67,194 deaths and rendered 5,06,348
people injured during 2011. (Table-1.6)
Maharashtra accounting for 9.3% (one-
eleventh) of country’s population has reported
almost one sixth (16.4%) of accidental deaths
due to unnatural causes. Madhya Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu accounted for 9.7% and 9.0%
deaths respectively during the year. (Table-
1.11)
( 7)
The age-group-wise distribution of Accidental
Deaths in the country by various Un-Natural
Causes along with their share in total deaths is
presented in Table-1.7. The ‘Accidental
Deaths’ due to Un-Natural Causes were mainly
on account of ‘Road Accidents’ (37.3%),
‘Railway Accidents’ and ‘Rail-Road accidents’
(7.6%), ‘Drowning’ (8.1%), ‘Poisoning’ (8.0%),
'Sudden Deaths' (7.3%) and ‘Fire Accidents’
(6.7%).
The number of cases of Un-natural accidents at
the National level has increased by 2.4% (from
6,78,326 in 2010 to 6,94,390 in 2011) as
compared to previous year. The number of
persons injured has increased by 1.6% (from
5,03,932 in 2010 to 5,06,348 in 2011) while the
number of persons killed in these accidents has
increased by 7.4% (from 3,59,583 in 2010 to
3,67,194 in 2011). The Accident cases due to
‘Air Crash’ and ‘Explosion’ have decreased by
64.3% (from 14 in 2010 to 5 in 2011) and
17.2% (from 581 in 2010 to 481 in 2011)
respectively while cases due to 'Stampede’ and
‘Suffocation’ increased by 193.5% (from 107 in
2010 to 314 in 2011) and 133.6% (from 1,374
in 2010 to 3,209 in 2011) respectively. [Table-
1.6]
The proportion of male injured and killed due to
un-natural causes in the country was 78.5%
and 77.5% respectively of the total such injuries
and deaths (Table-1.11). 92.6% of injuries and
37.3% of deaths were due to Road Accidents
alone at the National level. Males out-
numbered females in all kinds of accidental
casualties except ‘Fire Accidents’ where 66.4%
of those killed were females as compared to
33.6% males. [Table-1.7]
The cause-wise analysis of un-natural deaths
revealed that 71.4% deaths in Lakshadweep
were due to ‘Drowning’, 19.8% deaths in Sikkim
were due to 'Falls', 14.3% deaths in
Lakshadweep were due to 'Fire', 52.3% deaths
in Puducherry were attributed as 'Sudden
Deaths', 14.6% deaths in Madhya Pradesh
were due to 'Poisoning' and 64.9% deaths in
Jammu & Kashmir were due to 'Road Traffic
Accidents' and 8.8% deaths in Nagaland were
due to 'Fire-arms'. [Table-1.11]
The details of States and UTs categorized as
high prone areas (percentage share exceeding
the All-India share) on the basis of the
percentage share of deaths on these counts
are presented in Table-1(E).
 Table – 1 (E)
High Accidental death prone areas on the basis of Percentage share of deaths
due to un-natural causes (Road Accidents and Poisoning) during 2011

High Accidental death Prone Areas

Road Accident Deaths Poisoning
Sl. No. All-India Percentage Share = 37.3% Sl. No. All-India Percentage Share = 8.0%
State/UT %Share State/UT %Share

1 JAMMU & KASHMIR 64.9 1 MADHYA PRADESH 14.6

2 UTTAR PRADESH 53.1 2 CHHATTISGARH 12.7
3 NAGALAND 52.9 3 KARNATAKA 12.3
4 SIKKIM 52.5 4 ODISHA 12.3
5 PUNJAB 51.4 5 WEST BENGAL 11.8
6 ANDHRA PRADESH 50.8 6 ANDHRA PRADESH 9.1
7 BIHAR 50.3 7 UTTARAKHAND 8.5
8 ASSAM 49.1 8 RAJASTHAN 8.3
9 MANIPUR 48.6 9 BIHAR 8.3
10 TAMIL NADU 46.6 10 TAMIL NADU 8.1
11 RAJASTHAN 45.1
12 ARUNACHAL PRADESH 44.2
13 HARYANA 43.5
14 UTTARAKHAND 43.3
15 HIMACHAL PRADESH 43.1
16 D & N HAVELI 42.9
17 MEGHALAYA 41.9
18 TRIPURA 41.5
19 KARNATAKA 39.6
20 GOA 39.3
21 JHARKHAND 38.4
22 KERALA 37.4

( 8)
 Table – 1 (F)
High Accidental death prone areas on the basis of Percentage share of deaths due to unnatural
causes (Drowning, Fire and Sudden Deaths) during 2011
High Accidental death Prone Areas
Deaths due to Drowning Fire
Sl. No.
All-India Percentage Share = 8.1% All-India Percentage Share = 6.7%
Sl. No.
State/UT %Share State/UT %Share
1 LAKSHADWEEP 71.4 1 LAKSHADWEEP 14.3
2 DAMAN & DIU 26.5 2 GUJARAT 11.1
3 A & N ISLANDS 23.2 3 DAMAN & DIU 10.8
4 MIZORAM 17.3 4 MADHYA PRADESH 9.5
5 GOA 17.2 5 MAHARASHTRA 9.3
6 KERALA 15.2 6 KARNATAKA 7.9
7 SIKKIM 13.9 7 NAGALAND 7.4
8 MADHYA PRADESH 13.7 8 TAMIL NADU 7.2
9 NAGALAND 13.2 9 ANDHRA PRADESH 6.9
10 UTTARAKHAND 11.7 10 A & N ISLANDS 6.9
Sudden Deaths
11 CHHATTISGARH 11.1
All-India Percentage Share = 7.3%
Sl. No.
12 ANDHRA PRADESH 9.6 State/UT %Share
13 PUDUCHERRY 9.6 1 PUDUCHERRY 52.3
14 KARNATAKA 9.2 2 A & N ISLANDS 21.2
15 MEGHALAYA 9.0 3 KERALA 18.6
16 GUJARAT 8.6 4 CHANDIGARH 17.0
17 MAHARASHTRA 8.2 5 MAHARASHTRA 15.4
18 D & N HAVELI 8.2 6 GUJARAT 11.5
19 RAJASTHAN 8.1 7 D & N HAVELI 10.9
8 HIMACHAL PRADESH 9.9
9 PUNJAB 9.0
10 HARYANA 8.8
11 MEGHALAYA 8.2
12 DAMAN & DIU 7.8
13 UTTARAKHAND 7.3
Table – 1 (G)
High Prone areas on the basis of Percentage share of deaths
due to unnatural causes (Rail Road & Railways Accidents) during 2011
High Accidental death Prone Areas

Sl. No. Rail-Road & Railways Accidental Deaths

All-India Percentage Share = 7.6%
State/UT %Share
1 BIHAR 18.4
2 WEST BENGAL 15.9
3 DELHI (UT) 13.6
4 UTTAR PRADESH 12.8
5 HARYANA 11.6
6 JHARKHAND 11.6
7 ASSAM 10.7
8 PUNJAB 10.0
9 MAHARASHTRA 8.4

( 9)
Traffic Accidents
Traffic Accidents comprising (i) Road
Accidents (ii) Rail-Road Accidents and (iii)
Other Railway Accidents were the major
contributors of accidental deaths by Un-
natural causes. ‘Road Accidents’ in the
country have increased by 2.2% during 2011
compared to 2010 [Table-1.6]. The casualties
in Road Accidents in the country have
increased by 2.2% during 2011 as compared to
2010. Their proportion in total deaths due to
Un-natural causes has slightly increased from
37.2% in 2010 to 37.3% in 2011. The following
statistics reveal the growing magnitude of
‘Road Accidental Deaths’. [Table-1(H)] A total
of 4,73,084 ‘Traffic Accidents’ were reported
during the year comprising 4,40,123 ‘Road
Accidents’, 2,385 ‘Rail-Road Accidents’ and
30,576 ‘Other Railway Accidents’. These
accidents caused 1,36,834, 2,366 and 25,872
deaths respectively during the year 2011.
[Table-1.6]
Road Accident Deaths
The number of vehicles, number of road
accidents along with casualties and injuries
Table – 1 (H)
Share of ‘Road Accident Deaths’ in Total ‘Accidental Deaths’
by Un-natural Causes during 2007 to 2011
Number of Accidental Deaths
Sl.
Year
No.
Road Accidents
(1) (2) (3)
1 2007 1,14,590
2 2008 1,18,239
3 2009 1,26,896
4 2010 1,33,938
5 2011 1,36,834
therein, their percentage variations over
previous year and the rate of accidental deaths
per thousand vehicles during the last five years
are presented in Table–1(I). It is observed that
the rate of deaths per thousand vehicles has
decreased marginally from 1.6 in 2007 to 1.2 in
2011 even as the number of vehicles in the
country has increased by 58.1% and the
quantum of ‘Road Accidents’ has increased by
5.1%.
Railway Accidents & Rail-Road Accidents
2,385 cases of 'Rail-Road Accidents' were
reported during the year 2011 which shows a
decrease of 16.1% over 2010 where 2,843
cases were reported. The cases of deaths due
to 'Rail-Road Accidents' have decreased by
29.3% (from 3,347 in 2010 to 2,366 in 2011),
1,963 victims (out of 2,366 deaths) were males
and 403 were females. [Table–1.6] 647 cases
were reported in the third quarter of the year
2011 which accounted for 27.1% of the total
'Rail-Road Accidents' during the year 2011
while in 2010, 24.1% (686 cases) were
reported in the third quarter. [Table–1.9]
Percentage share of
‘Road Accident’
Deaths in Un-Natural
Total Un-natural Total Deaths
(4) (5)
3,15,641 36.3
3,18,316 37.1
3,34,766 37.9
3,59,583 37.2
3,67,194 37.3
( 10)
 Table – 1 (I)
Growth in Number of Vehicles and Road Accidents in India (2007-2011)

Rate of
% % % %
Road Deaths per
Sl. variation Persons variation Persons variation No. of variation
Accidents thousand
No Year over injured (in over killed over vehicles (in over
(in Vehicles
. previous thousand) previous (in nos.) previous thousand) previous
thousand) (Col.7/
year Year Year Year
Col.9)

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11)

1 2007 418.6 6.1 465.3 2.7 1,14,590 8.4 72,718 – 1.6

2 2008 415.8 – 0.7 469.1 0.8 1,18,239 3.2 89,618 23.2 1.3

3 2009 421.6 1.4 466.6 -0.5 1,26,896 7.3 89,618 – 1.4

4 2010 430.6 2.1 470.6 0.9 1,33,938 5.5 1,14,953 28.3 1.2

5 2011 440.1 2.2 468.8 -0.4 1,36,834 2.2 1,14,953 – 1.2

Source: for Col.9, ‘Road Transport Year Book’ of Transport Research Wing, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Govt. of India.
Note: for Col.9, data for the year 2006 is repeated in 2007 due to non availability of data for this year.
for Col.9, data for the year 2008 is repeated in 2009 due to non availability of data for this year.
for Col.9, data for the year 2010 is repeated in 2011 due to non availability of data for this year.

Incidence of Deaths of Rail-Road Accidents & Other Railway Accidents (2007 - 2011)

25000

20000

24451 25872
15000
23601 24126
24277
Incidence

10000

5000

3347
2369 2222 2366
1516
0
2007 2008 Year 2009 2010 2011

rail road accidents other railway accidents

( 11)
 Table — 1 (J)
Incidence and Rate of Deaths due to Road Accidents during 2011
(State/UT wise)
Total Registered Rate of
No. of deaths
Motor Vehicles Accidental Rate of Deaths
Sl. No. of cases of due to Road
State/UT Deaths per 000’ (Col.5/Col.3)
No. Road Accidents as on 31.03.2009 Accidents in
vehicles ×100
(in 000’) 2011
(Col.5 / Col.4)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
STATES:
1 ANDHRA PRADESH 41066 8059 15158 1.9 36.9
2 ARUNACHAL PRADESH 263 22 126 5.7 47.9
3 ASSAM 6569 1235 2342 1.9 35.7
4 BIHAR 9355 1960 5072 2.6 54.2
5 CHHATTISGARH 9195 2115 3454 1.6 37.6
6 GOA 4561 674 338 0.5 7.4
7 GUJARAT 30199 10999 8006 0.7 26.5
8 HARYANA 10553 4425 4681 1.1 44.4
9 HIMACHAL PRADESH 3099 494 1083 2.2 34.9
10 JAMMU & KASHMIR 6665 668 1140 1.7 17.1
11 JHARKHAND 3901 2038 2053 1.0 52.6
12 KARNATAKA 44696 6953 8958 1.3 20.0
13 KERALA 35216 4860 4145 0.9 11.8
14 MADHYA PRADESH 30573 6011 8256 1.4 27.0
15 MAHARASHTRA 47120 14451 13680 0.9 29.0
16 MANIPUR 691 147 156 1.1 22.6
17 MEGHALAYA 261 142 229 1.6 87.7
18 MIZORAM 97 70 81 1.2 83.5
19 NAGALAND 32 240 36 0.2 112.5
20 ODISHA 9398 2607 3797 1.5 40.4
21 PUNJAB 6496 4832 4897 1.0 75.4
22 RAJASTHAN 23245 6490 9232 1.4 39.7
23 SIKKIM 129 29 106 3.7 82.2
24 TAMIL NADU 65873 12891 15422 1.2 23.4
25 TRIPURA 834 144 245 1.7 29.4
26 UTTAR PRADESH 24513 10779 14996 1.4 61.2
27 UTTARAKHAND 1495 787 922 1.2 61.7
28 WEST BENGAL 14468 3044 5646 1.9 39.0
TOTAL (STATES): 430563 107166 134257 1.3 31.2
UNION TERRITORIES:
29 A & N ISLANDS 235 60 17 0.3 7.2
30 CHANDIGARH 441 747 136 0.2 30.8
31 D & N HAVELI 103 63 63 1.0 61.2
32 DAMAN & DIU 21 70 21 0.3 100.0
33 DELHI (UT) 7280 6302 2107 0.3 28.9
34 LAKSHADWEEP 0 7 0 0.0 0.0
35 PUDUCHERRY 1480 538 233 0.4 15.7
TOTAL (UTs): 9560 7787 2577 0.3 27.0
TOTAL (ALL INDIA): 440123 114953 136834 1.2 31.1
Source: for column 4 - ‘Road Transport Year Book’ of Transport Research Wing, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Govt. of India.
Note: for column 4, data of 2009 is repeated due to non-availability of latest data.

( 12)
The rate of Road Accident Deaths per thousand these were riding on ‘Two-wheelers’, 26,601
registered motor vehicles in each State/UT is (19.4%) were occupants of ‘Truck/Lorry’,
presented in Table-1(J). It is observed that the 13,380 (9.8%) were traveling in car and 12,501
rate of Accidental Deaths per thousand vehicles (9.1%) were killed while traveling in buses.
was highest in Arunachal Pradesh at 5.7 [Table-1.7 & 1.8]
followed by Sikkim (3.7), Bihar (2.6) and
Himachal Pradesh (2.2) as compared to 1.2 at
the National level. Although Maharashtra and
Tamil Nadu had the highest and the second Figure 1.7
highest number of registered vehicles in the
country, but highest number of deaths due to Road Accident Deaths by Type of Vehicles
road accidents during the years were reported (Percentage Share)
in Tamil Nadu (15,422) followed by Andhra Others
Pradesh (15,158). The rate of deaths per 100 Pedestrian
9.8 Truck/Lorry
19.4
cases of road accidents was highest in 9.1
Nagaland (112.5), followed by Daman & Diu
Bus
(100.0), Meghalaya (87.7) and Sikkim (82.2) as Bicycle
9.1
2.3
compared to 31.1 at the National level.

Tempo/Vans
Figure 1.6 Two Wheeler 6.2
22.4

Jeep
Road Accident Deaths by
Three 6.9
Type of Vehicle (Number) Wheeler Car
25000 5.0 9.8

20000

15000 13031
Although break-up of total Government and
9253
10000 8610 8269 Private vehicles are not available, it is pertinent
to note that 98.5% victims of 'Truck/Lorry',
5000 3891
97.8% victims of ‘Jeeps’, ‘97.4% victims of
408 271 212 349 'Cars’, 96.8% victims of 'Tempo/Vans’ and
0
Truck/ Lorry Bus Tempo/Vans Jeep Car 68.9% victims of ‘Buses’ involved in accidents,
G o v e rnm e nt P riv a t e
were traveling in private vehicles.

The number of persons who died of

‘Truck/Lorry’ accidents was highest in Andhra
Pradesh (13.5%) followed by Tamil Nadu
Fatal Road Accidents (11.7%) and Uttar Pradesh (11.6%). 18.5% of
‘Bus' victims and 15.8% of ‘Car' victims were
Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra from Tamil Nadu alone. 15.7% of ‘Tempo/Van'
Pradesh and Kerala have accounted for 15.0%, victims, 13.9% ‘Jeep’ victims and 25.9%
10.7%, 10.2%, 9.3% and 8.0% respectively of 'Bicycle' victims were from Uttar Pradesh.
total ‘Road Accident’ deaths in the country. 27.7% of ‘Three Wheeler’ victims were from
Andhra Pradesh and 12.6% and 13.3%
1,11,629 males and 20,205 females totaling 'Pedestrian' and 'Two Wheeler' victims
1,36,834 persons were killed during the year respectively were from Maharashtra alone.
2011, while traveling by various modes of
transport on roads. 30,624 persons (22.4%) of

( 13)
 Table — 1 (K)
Sex wise Road Accident Deaths by Type of Vehicle during 2011
Number of Road Accidental Deaths
Sl. %share
Type of Vehicle
No. Male Female Total of total
vehicles
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
1 Truck/Lorry 23584 3017 26601 19.4
Government 343 65 408 0.3
Private 23241 2952 26193 19.1
2 Bus 10205 2296 12501 9.1
Government 3254 637 3891 2.8
Private 6951 1659 8610 6.3
3 Tempo/Vans 7106 1434 8540 6.2
Government 231 40 271 0.2
Private 6875 1394 8269 6.0
4 Jeep 7860 1605 9465 6.9
Government 186 26 212 0.2
Private 7674 1579 9253 6.8
5 Car 11178 2202 13380 9.8
Government 294 55 349 0.3
Private 10884 2147 13031 9.5
6 Three Wheeler 5476 1316 6792 5.0
7 Two Wheeler 26928 3696 30624 22.4
8 Bicycle 2865 269 3134 2.3
9 Pedestrian 10114 2286 12400 9.1
10 Others 11313 2084 13397 9.8
Total 116629 20205 136834 100.0

A total of 8,584 (out of 30,576) accidents

Traffic Accidents by Month & Time of
Occurrence
As per Table-1.9, a total of 1,23,882 ‘Traffic
Accidents’ were reported in the 2nd quarter of
the year accounting for 26.2% (out of 4,73,084)
of total traffic accidents during the year. The
month-wise break-up of accidents for each
State/UT/City are presented in Table-1.12.
The month-wise distribution of ‘Road Accidents’
has also shown more accidents during May
(41,542) followed by month of March (37,861)
contributing 9.4% and 8.9% respectively.
Maximum ‘Rail-Road Accidents’ occurred
during the month of August (266) and May
(239). [Table-1.12]
Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, which accounted
for 15.0% and 10.7% respectively of 'Road
Accidents' in the country have also reported the
maximum number of 'Road Accidents' during
each month of the year at national level. Delhi
has reported the maximum number of ‘Road
Accidents’ among UTs which is 1.7% at the
National level. Andhra Pradesh has reported
28.3% of 'Rail-Road accidents' in the country.
accounting for 28.1% of ‘Railway Accidents’
(other than ‘Rail-Road accidents') were reported
from Maharashtra alone followed by Uttar
Pradesh 3,938 (12.9%) and West Bengal 2,364
(7.7%). Delhi (1,409) and Puducherry (6) are
the only UTs which have recorded such
accidents. [Table-1.12]
The distribution of ‘Traffic Accidents’ in each
State/UT/City during the 8 classified time
periods (Pahar) of the day is presented in
Table-1.13. Maximum cases of ‘Road
Accidents’ (73,001) (16.6%) were reported
during 1500 hrs to 1800 hrs (day) followed by
70,250 cases during 2100 hrs to 2400 Hrs
(night) (16.0%) and least number (29,483) of
these accidents (6.7%) was reported during
0000 Hrs to 0300 hrs (night). The maximum
'Rail-Road Accidents' were reported during
0600 hrs to 0900 hrs (day), 444 (18.6%). The
maximum number of ‘Other Railway
Accidents’ 4,862 (15.9%) were reported
during 0900 hrs to 1200 hrs (day). [Table-
1.13]

( 14)
Accidental Deaths in Cities
The term ‘mega city’ refers to cities which have
a population of over 10 lakhs as per Population
census 2011. Mumbai has reported the
maximum number of ‘Accidental Deaths’
(7,814) followed by Delhi (7,576) accounting for
12.5% and 12.1% respectively of the total
accidental deaths reported by 53 mega cities.
The rate of ‘Accidental Deaths’ was highest in
Asansol (107.1) followed by Kanpur (76.0) as
compared to average rate for the cities (38.8).
Mumbai’s share (12.5%) of accidental deaths
among cities was relatively lower than that of
Maharashtra (15.5%) at the national level.
[Table-1.2]
Evidently, average rate of accidental deaths in
cities (38.8) was higher than the All-India rate
(32.3).Except 18 cities, all other 35 cities have
reported higher or equal rate of ‘accidental
deaths’ than the National average. It is also
interesting to note that 31 out of 53 cities have
reported higher rate of ‘accidental deaths’ as
compared to their parent State’s rate. The
same is reflected in Table-1(L).
Kolkata, the third largest city in terms of
population (8.8% of the population of all mega
cities) among 53 cities after Mumbai (11.4%),
reported the lowest share of deaths in cities
1.4%. The comparative reporting of ‘accidental
deaths’ during 2011 in the top four-mega cities
is presented in Table-1(M).

Table – 1 (L)
Rate of Accidental Deaths in Cities (with rate higher than parent state) during 2011

Sl. No. City Rate in City Rate in Parent State

(1) (2) (3) (4)
1 ASANSOL 107.1 23.3
2 KANPUR 76.0 15.1
3 PUNE 73.0 53.9
4 MEERUT 70.0 15.1
5 DURG BHILAINAGAR 69.1 60.6
6 JAIPUR 68.1 33.6
7 INDORE 65.9 50.4
8 AURANGABAD 63.9 53.9
9 RAJKOT 60.7 40.4
10 NASIK 60.0 53.9
11 VASAI VIRAR 59.0 53.9
12 JODHPUR 54.9 33.6
13 NAGPUR 54.0 53.9
14 JABALPUR 53.5 50.4
15 BENGALURU 52.9 41.2
16 AGRA 52.2 15.1
17 KOTA 51.1 33.6
18 CHENNAI 49.1 46.5
19 LUDHIANA 47.5 38.0
20 FARIDABAD 45.6 44.6
21 VIJAYAWADA 43.3 35.8
22 VARANASI 42.6 15.1
23 KOLLAM 42.4 33.3
24 VISHAKHAPATNAM 41.1 35.8
25 GHAZIABAD 37.8 15.1
26 PATNA 35.6 11.4
27 RANCHI 33.9 19.0
28 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM 33.7 33.3
29 JAMSHEDPUR 25.4 19.0
30 LUCKNOW 19.6 15.1
31 ALLAHABAD 19.1 15.1

( 15)
 Table – 1 (M)

Rate of Accidental Deaths in Metropolitan Cities during 2011

Share of Rate (No. of
Sl. Population (In Share of Deaths
City Population In Deaths Per one
No. Lakhs) In Cities (percent)
Cities (percent) Lakh Population)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
1. Chennai 87.0 5.4 6.8 49.1
2. Delhi 163.2 10.1 12.1 46.4
3. Kolkata 141.1 8.8 1.4 6.1
4. Mumbai 184.1 11.4 12.5 42.4

Figure – 1.8

Percentage Share of Accidental Deaths in Mega Cities during 2011

MUMBAI
12.5%
OTHERS
35.3%

DELHI (CITY)
12.1%

KOLKATA
CHENNAI
1.4%
6.8%

KANPUR PUNE
3.5% 5.9%

AHMEDABAD
INDORE
2.8%
2.3%

SURAT BENGALURU
2.5% 7.2%
JAIPUR NAGPUR HYDERABAD
3.3% 2.2% 2.2%

58,999 deaths due to un-natural causes &
3,530 deaths due to causes attributable to
Nature were reported from 53 cities out of
total 62,529 ‘accidental deaths’ during 2011
as compared to 51,830 deaths (among 35
mega cities) during 2010. 20 cities out of 53
cities have reported a decline of accidental
deaths during 2011 as compared to 2010.
Allahabad has reported the maximum
decrease of 57.2% (from 545 in 2010 to 233
in 2011) while Asansol has reported the
( 16)
maximum increase of 138.5% (from 558 in
2010 to 1,331 in 2011) in the number of
accidental deaths during the year 2011.
[Table-1.3]
Though 53 cities accounted for nearly 13.3%
of the country’s population, they reported
comparatively more deaths due to accidents
(i.e. 16.0% of total accidental deaths in the
country) and higher rate of 38.8 as compared
to 32.3 at the National level. The share of
deaths in cities due to causes attributable to
Nature was 14.9% while that due to un-natural
causes was 16.1% at the national level.
The 53 mega cities accounted for nearly
18.0% (1,25,334 out of 6,94,390) of accident
cases due to un-natural causes in the country
which rendered 15.3% (77,281 out of
5,06,348) injured and 16.1% (58,999 out of
3,67,194) dead. The highest number of un-
natural accidents (10.1%) and the maximum
number of deaths (13.2%) were reported in
Chennai and Mumbai city respectively
amongst the 53 mega cities. [Table-1.11]
Delhi city among 53 cities has reported the
highest number of deaths by causes
attributable to Nature (38.8%) followed by
Bengaluru city (34.8%). All deaths reported
due to causes attributable to Nature in
Allahabad, Chandigarh City and Ghazibad
were due to ‘Cold & Exposure’. Also 75.0%
deaths in Kanpur and 72.6% deaths in
Faridabad were due to ‘Cold & Exposure’. All
deaths reported due to causes attributable to
Nature in Hydrabad and Jabalpur was due to
‘Heat Stroke’.
Under un-natural accidents, it is reported
that Delhi has experienced maximum damage
(68 cases) by ‘Collapse of structure’ which
accounted for 40.8% and 12.1% injuries and
deaths respectively among 53 mega cities.
Maximum cases of ‘Drowning’ were reported
************
( 17)
in Chennai (241), maximum deaths due to
‘Explosion (bomb)’ were reported in Mumbai
(27) during the year among 53 Mega Cities.
The cases of ‘Falls’ which resulted into
maximum deaths were reported in Delhi City
(408 deaths out of 383 cases). Maximum
cases of ‘Factory /machine accidents’ were
reported in Aurangabad (243) which caused 5
deaths while Delhi (city), Faridabad, Ludhiana,
Meerut and Surat together (71 deaths)
accounted for 6.5% total such accidents at All
India level (1,091 deaths). Maximum number
of ‘Sudden deaths’ was reported in Mumbai
19.2% (1,422) out of 53 Mega Cities. 18 out of
49 people ‘Killed by animals’ in Bengaluru city.
Maximum case of ‘Poisoning’ was reported in
Nasik (1,522) which led to injuries of 1,536
people during 2011.
The highest incidence of Traffic Accident
cases was reported in Chennai (9,845) which
caused 7,898 injuries and 1,399 deaths
followed by Delhi City (7,476 cases, 5,995
injuries and 2,699 deaths) and Bengaluru
(6,031 cases, 4,952 injuries and 720 deaths).
The highest cases of Road Accidents were
reported in Chennai (9,845) which resulted
into 7,898 injuries and 1,399 deaths followed
by Delhi (city) (6,065 cases, 5,603 injuries and
1,679) and Bengaluru (6,031 cases, 4,952
injuries and 720 deaths) among 53 Mega
Cities. [Table-1.11]