Guwahati: Altogether 19,224 people lost their lives in road accidents across northeastern states from 2020 to 2024, with Assam alone accounting for eight of 10 road crash deaths in the region.The road crash data released by the road transport ministry for 2024 shows that Assam also recorded the fifth-highest fatality rate per vehicle in India. The fatality rate is used to explain road accidents relative to vehicular population in the country. It is measured by the number of road accident fatalities per 10,000 vehicles.While Assam reported a fatality rate of 7.43, the national average stood at 4.58. Arunachal Pradesh was the only other northeastern state above the national average, recording a fatality rate of 5.In contrast, Nagaland and Manipur were among the states with the lowest fatality rates in the country, at 1.12 and 1.99, respectively.The region, excluding Sikkim, recorded 9,518 road accidents in 2024, accounting for nearly 2% of all road crashes reported in the country, according to the data.The region’s share in India’s total road accidents remained broadly stable over the past five years, despite fluctuations in accident numbers across individual states. Road crashes in the seven states increased from 8,394 in 2019 to 9,518 in 2024, reflecting the impact of growing vehicle ownership, expanding road connectivity and rising traffic movement.Assam continued to dominate the region’s road accident profile, reporting 7,848 accidents in 2024. The state alone accounted for more than 82% of all road accidents recorded in the seven northeastern states and remained the leading contributor throughout the 2020-2024 period.Tripura recorded the second-highest number of road accidents, 578, in 2024, followed by Manipur (299), Arunachal Pradesh (277) and Meghalaya (269). Mizoram (118) and Nagaland (129) reported comparatively fewer accidents, though trends varied considerably across states.The data shows that Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura witnessed an increase in road accidents in 2024 compared with the previous year. On the other hand, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland recorded a decline.Among the states that reported an increase, Assam continued to account for the largest rise in absolute numbers, reinforcing its position as the region’s principal contributor to road crashes. Meghalaya and Mizoram also registered notable increases, while Tripura’s accident count remained largely stable with a marginal rise.Nagaland recorded the sharpest decline in road accidents, continuing a downward trend observed over the past few years. Manipur also reported a reduction in crashes, while Arunachal Pradesh registered a slight decline.
