India saw 5.13 lakh road accidents in 2025 with 21 deaths every hour, Nitin Gadkari tells Parliament

India recorded over 5.13 lakh road accidents in 2025, claiming 1,83,382 lives at a rate of 21 deaths per hour, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told Lok Sabha. He also dismissed widespread engine failure concerns regarding E20 ethanol-blended fueL

New Delhi: The number of road accidents in India went up by 5.30 per cent to over 5.13 lakh in 2025, resulting in deaths of 21 persons every hour, Parliament was informed on Thursday.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on average, 59 road accidents take place every hour in the country.

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A total of 5,13,563 road accidents have been reported by police departments of states and Union Territories in the country during the calendar year 2025, claiming 1,83,382 lives, Gadkari said.

Amongst states, the report said, Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of accidents at 71,387, whereas Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of accident fatalities at 27,550 in 2025.

He said the government has formulated a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue of road safety based on 4E’s, i.e. Education, Engineering (both of roads and vehicles), Enforcement and Emergency Care.

Responding to another question, the minister said, as per information received from SIAM, no widespread issues of engine failure or vehicle breakdown attributable to ethanol blending have been reported.

“Certain concerns relating to engine performance, mileage and vehicle wear have been arising largely through public commentary and social media discourse,” he said, adding that E15+ blended petrol has been in widespread use across the country for over three-and-a-half years and E19–E20 fuel for over two-and-a-half years.

Gadkari said the government, in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has introduced the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme by consultation with stakeholders, field trials and validation by expert agencies at each stage of blending escalation.

The minister explained that the EBP programme has been implemented through a phased, calibrated, scientifically validated and consultative approach.

He said it has been used globally for over a century, with countries such as Brazil operating higher ethanol blends for decades.

According to him, in India, the EBP programme commenced with a pilot in 2001, E5 was introduced in 2006, and although blending remained around 1.53 per cent in 2013-14, it has since been increased progressively in a calibrated manner after creating the necessary production capacity, infrastructure and regulatory framework.

Before the introduction of E20, extensive laboratory studies, durability trials and field validation were undertaken covering engine durability, material compatibility, fuel systems, corrosion resistance, drivability, emissions, fuel economy and overall vehicle performance, Gadkari said.

Responding to a separate question, he said a total of 10,389 km of National High-Speed Corridors have been awarded across the country, of which 4,809 km have been completed, and 5,580 km are under implementation.

The government has established a framework for regular review of the progress of all ongoing National Highway works, including national high-speed corridors and greenfield expressways.

This involves review at the state and central levels, involving all stakeholders, including the state government. This also involves technological intervention to identify issues/hindrance/delay at project level, including under PMG (project monitoring group) portal.