NEW DELHI: For the first time since the Covid pandemic, fatalities on national highways (NHs) declined last year, even as overall road deaths rose in India. Govt data submitted in Lok Sabha last week shows that deaths on NHs, including Centre-run expressways, fell by 4.1% to 62,122 in 2025 from 64,772 in 2024.Among states and UTs, 20 recorded a decline in fatalities on NHs while 15 reported an increase. Lakshadweep, with no national highways, was the only one to record ‘zero NH fatalities’ since 2022. Data shows UP registered the steepest decline in NH deaths, with fatalities dropping from 9,560 in 2024 to 7,573 in 2025. Madhya Pradesh also reported a significant reduction, from 4,644 to 3,610, along with Punjab, which logged a sharp fall from 1,562 to 1,022 during the same period. States that witnessed a rise in NH fatalities include Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.
