Although Tamil Nadu accounts for the highest number of road accidents in India, it also leads in having reduced the number of fatalities in accident-prone areas with deployment of personnel and a sustained awareness campaign.
With 66,238 accidents in 2013, the State accounted for 13.6 per cent of all accidents in the country, 11.3 per cent of all road accident deaths and 15 per cent of all road-related injuries, according to data provided by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to the Lok Sabha.
Though the number of ‘black spots’ or accident prone areas on Tamil Nadu’s highways increased over the last few years, this has not translated into more deaths in these areas. According to data, the number of black spots rose from 25 in 2011 to 49 in 2013, and represented almost a quarter of all black spots on the country’s highways.
However since 2011, the number of deaths at areas decreased from 1,053 in 2011 to 881 in 2012 and 867 in 2013.
Other states also have seen the number of deaths at black spots decreasing — with Tamil Nadu being only one of 25 — but few have seen such a drastic fall.
