Hit-and-run deaths in India climb sharply, now account for 20% of road fatalities

By: Shantanu Bhattacharji

Overspeeding remains the leading cause of road accidents, responsible for over 72% of crashes in both 2020 and 2022—a persistent figure that highlights deep-rooted structural issues.

Fauja Singh, the 114-year-old marathon legend from Punjab who once inspired the world with his endurance, died not of old age, but in a hit-and-run accident on July 14. His passing—tragic in its irony—has once again thrown a harsh spotlight on India’s worsening road safety crisis. 

It’s not an isolated case. It’s part of a trend. 

A Growing Epidemic on Roads 

Government data reveals that hit-and-run incidents have risen sharply—from just over 53,000 in 2014 to more than 67,000 in 2022. These now make up nearly 15 per cent of all road accidents in the country, but an even more alarming 18 per cent of total road deaths. That means nearly one in every five fatalities involves a driver who didn’t stop. 

In a country adding millions of vehicles annually, the mismatch between traffic volume and enforcement capacity is widening. Singh’s death has drawn headlines, but thousands of similar stories go untold. 

Rear-End Collisions: Silent Killer 

Rear-end collisions are the single biggest contributor to India’s road accidents. In 2022 alone, “hit-from-behind” cases made up 21.4 per cent of all crashes and nearly one-fifth of road deaths. On congested roads with poor signage, inconsistent lane markings, and no real speed regulation, it's often a recipe for disaster. 

Overspeeding remains the leading cause of road accidents, responsible for over 72 per cent of crashes in both 2020 and 2022. The fact that this number hasn’t budged in years signals deep structural issues. Despite stricter rules under the Motor Vehicles Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the deterrence effect is weak, largely because of patchy enforcement and poor conviction rates. 

Where the Law Falls Short 

Technically, a hit-and-run conviction can carry up to 10 years in prison. But in practice, the punishment rarely fits the crime. In most cases, drivers flee knowing they are unlikely to be identified—let alone convicted. 

Conviction rates in hit-and-run cases tell a revealing story. While there was an improvement from 44.4 per cent in 2017 to 58.1 per cent in 2020, the rate slipped back to 47.9 per cent in 2022. Even more troubling is the pendency rate—the proportion of cases still unresolved—which rose from 88 per cent in 2017 to nearly 97 per cent in 2021, before declining slightly to 93 per cent in 2022. In other words, justice is being delayed—and often denied. 

Compensation Helps, But Only a Little 

The number of compensation claims settled in hit-and-run cases increased—from 719 in 2020–21 to 1,086 in 2022–23—but that doesn’t begin to reflect the full scale of the crisis. Most victims or their families either never file claims or are caught in a long bureaucratic maze that discourages them from trying. 

What’s needed isn’t just higher payouts, but systemic reform—from better road design and digital surveillance to faster claims settlement and witness protection. 

The road safety crisis is too often framed as a transport issue. In truth, it reflects a deeper failure of governance and urban planning—one that consistently puts the most vulnerable at risk: pedestrians, cyclists, two-wheeler riders, children, the elderly, and the working poor.