Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government today revealed that 6,142 people lost their lives in road accidents in 2024, according to provisional data. This figure represents a 7% increase from the previous year, which saw 5,739 fatalities.
In response to a question posed by BJD MLA Arun Sahoo, Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena informed the Odisha Assembly that the detailed data on road accidents is published by the Crime Investigation Department (CID). However, the detailed data for 2024 is not yet available.
Minister Jena attributed the majority of accidents to reckless driving, citing 6,925 accidents caused by over-speeding and 649 accidents caused by drunken driving. The data on accidents caused by stray cattle and technical faults is maintained by the CID.
The Minister also stated that the responsibility of investigating the causes of road accidents has been entrusted to the Lead Agency on Road Safety. The officers involved are investigating and submitting reports periodically.
Additionally, the data on accidents that occurred on National Highways and State Highways in 2024 will be obtained from the CID in April.
According to the data received from the CID, 4,494 accidents occurred on National Highways and 7,498 accidents occurred on State Highways and other roads in 2023.
