NEW DELHI: For years, NH-44 — India’s longest dual carriageway, stretching 3,745 km from Srinagar to Kanyakumari — has carried the burden of the nation’s motion. Its tarmac has known migrations, commerce, each day commuters, truck convoys, and families on long-distance journeys.
But on the stretches decreasing through Haryana and Delhi, that familiar thrum of mobility conceals a some distance deadlier fact. Here, every few kilometres mark the toll of a killer dual carriageway — a dual carriageway the attach speed too most ceaselessly outcomes in death, and lives vanish sooner than the headlights that sweep during its asphalt.Going by the accessible info for 2023 and 2024, India’s most foremost north–south corridor has grew to change into into undoubtedly one of its most lethal.
In accident maps, NCR’s highways glow no longer with progress but with warnings — red zones the attach speed, quantity, construct flaws and human error converge into deadly outcomes. And since the nation registers file-high dual carriageway deaths, the memoir of NH-44 stands as a microcosm of the nationwide crisis.
2023: A dual carriageway under siegeIn response to officers from the dual carriageway transport ministry and the Nationwide Highways Authority of India (NHAI), a 2023 look by the SaveLife Foundation ranked the Haryana and Delhi sections of NH-44 as doubtlessly the most unsafe in the nation.
For a dual carriageway constructed to bid speed and effectivity, hazard now runs parallel to its lanes.Haryana’s 266-km stretch has change into a grim arithmetic of loss:715 deaths recorded in 2023 — roughly three fatalities per kilometre. And as soon as the dual carriageway enters Delhi, the struggling does no longer ease. In barely 30 km, one other 63 lives were lost. Every stretch, every crossing, every merge tells the similar memoir: a route an increasing form of unforgiving to those that rush it.In Delhi, three dual carriageway sections forming phase of the NH-44 alignment — along side Mukarba Chowk to Singhu Border and Ashram to Badarpur Border — emerged amongst doubtlessly the most accident-inclined segments in the nationwide look. Their traffic load, speed patterns, construct obstacles, and pedestrian stress beget repeatedly placed them in the high-possibility class.Hazard used to be no longer restricted to NH-44 by myself. The Haryana fraction of NH-forty eight, from Gurgaon to the Rajasthan border, keeping roughly 85 km, used to be ranked the third most unsafe dual carriageway segment in 2023.
It recorded two deaths per km, additional highlighting how NCR’s foremost expressways are an increasing form of fixing into lethal corridors.2024: Escalation, no longer developmentIf 2023 marked a red flag, 2024 grew to change into it into a flashing terror. Two foremost stretches of NH-44 in Haryana — the Sonipat to Ambala segment and the Faridabad to Palwal stretch — emerged as just a few of doubtlessly the most dreadful on your whole nationwide dual carriageway community. On these 266 km within the articulate, a full of 813 accidents were reported in 2024, ensuing in 486 deaths.
The sample used to be no longer random, as police info printed clusters of “blackspots” the attach deadly accidents repeatedly happened.Blackspots: Where bother repeats itselfIn Sonipat, five blackspots were recorded — websites the attach 30 accidents led to 29 deaths and 11 injuries in 2024 by myself. These micro-zones of hazard most ceaselessly fragment usual aspects: tantalizing curves, poorly marked crossings, heavy truck parking, blind spots, or sudden bottlenecks.In Ambala, eight such hazard parts were identified in 2024, later decreased to seven.
These included Mullana Bus Stand, Jaggi Metropolis Centre, Ambala Cantt Bus Stand, Mohri shut to Adesh Medical College, the IDDC Hartron Centre, Original Grain Market and Agrasen Chowk. Between January 2022 and Could perhaps 2024, these seven zones witnessed 214 accidents ensuing in 104 deaths.Further south, Faridabad recorded 110 accidents on NH-44 in 2024, of which 49 were deadly, leaving 51 boring, 38 seriously injured, and 61 with minor injuries.
In Palwal, there were 169 accidents, inflicting 99 deaths and injuring 103 others.Why crashes happenInvestigators and officers describe a predictable sample of causes:
- Overspeeding on straight, originate segments
- Base-facet utilizing, especially shut to urban access parts
- Illegal truck parking on shoulders
- Underneath the affect of alcohol utilizing in gradual-night and early-morning hours
- Unauthorized dual carriageway cuts created by native communities
- Heavy pedestrian motion without footbridges or subways
Many deaths happen no longer within automobiles but on foot, with pedestrians pressured to race six-lane or eight-lane highways ensuing from inadequate urban construct. The result is a habitual tragedy — of us darting during high-speed traffic the attach the infrastructure itself leaves them uncovered.
Let’s Take care of shut A perceive At The fatalities On Nationwide Highways From 2022–2025
2022: Fatalities on Nationwide HighwaysAuthorities info reveals that 61,038 of us were killed in accidents on India’s Nationwide Highways in 2022, marking undoubtedly one of many highest annual tolls recorded on the community.2023: Small dip in Nationwide Twin carriageway deathsIn response to the dual carriageway transport ministry, fifty three,372 lives were lost on Nationwide Highways in 2023. Whereas lower than the earlier year, the figure restful reflects the severe and persistent risks on high-speed corridors.2024: Over 52,000 deadly accidents on Nationwide HighwaysUnion Street Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari stated that 52,609 deadly accidents happened on Nationwide Highways in 2024, underscoring the persisted vulnerability of the nation’s valuable dual carriageway community.2025: Over 26,000 deaths on Nationwide Highways in 6 monthsWithin the first half of 2025 by myself, 26,770 of us died in crashes on India’s Nationwide Highways, highlighting the escalating scale of the nation’s dual carriageway-security crisis and signalling one other doubtlessly deadly year forward.
Let’s Take care of shut A Seek At Total Fatalities In Street Accidents From 2022–2024
2022: Nation’s Street Loss of life DisasterIndia’s fatality traits did no longer emerge in a single day.In 2022, the dual carriageway transport ministry reported 1.68 lakh deaths ensuing from dual carriageway crashes. The Nationwide Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) attach the figure a little bit of elevated, at 1.71 lakh deaths.
Both first price businesses are but to submit full info for 2023.What’s apparent, on the opposite hand, is that fatalities elevated during as a minimum 21 states and Union Territories — along side Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Punjab, Assam and Telangana. Handiest just a few areas — Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Kerala and Chandigarh — saw marginal declines.The scale of India’s dual carriageway break jam, long identified but insufficiently addressed, attach the stage for the dramatic escalation witnessed in 2023 and 2024.
474 Lives Lost Day-to-day In 2023: India’s Worst Year On FileAuthorities info finds that nearly about 1.73 lakh of us were killed in dual carriageway crashes in 2023, which implies a imply of 474 deaths each day, or one lifestyles lost every three minutes. This marks the highest annual toll ever recorded since nationwide info sequence started. The injury burden also rose sharply, with 4.63 lakh of us injured in 2023 — a 4% amplify from 2022. Collectively, these figures underline a stark nationwide fact: India’s mobility systems, from foremost highways to urban roads, continue to remain deeply unsafe despite years of policymaking, infrastructure funding and enforcement measures.2024: Fatalities Seemingly To Surpass 2023Provisional info from states and U.s.a.reveals that 2024 is seemingly to exceed even the grim tally of 2023.Bigger than two dozen states and UTs — along side Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Telangana, Assam and Delhi — beget reported elevated fatalities. Excluding West Bengal, the preliminary death rely already stands at over 1.7 lakh.Since West Bengal reported 6,027 deaths in 2023, officers query the closing nationwide total for 2024 to exceed closing year’s number as soon as info is reconciled and printed.Silver LiningIn 2024, nine states and union territories reported a decline in dual carriageway fatalities. Kerala recorded 3,846 deaths, down from 4,080 the earlier year, while Gujarat saw a lower to 7,717 fatalities from 7,854 in 2023.Regardless of these regional enhancements, the nationwide image remains referring to. Across 35 states and UTs, 4.7 lakh dual carriageway crashes were reported in 2024, most attention-grabbing a little bit of lower than the 4.8 lakh recorded in 2023.
Even though the total form of accidents fell marginally, the consistently high fatality figures suggest that a elevated percentage of crashes are severe or poorly managed, highlighting ongoing challenges in dual carriageway security throughout the nation.Beyond Statistics: A Mobility Machine Beneath StressIndia’s mobility infrastructure has expanded at an unprecedented tempo, but security systems beget did now not withhold up. Authorities info reveals that the form of registered automobiles has surged from 15.9 crore in 2012 to 38.3 crore in 2024, while the total dual carriageway community has grown some distance extra slowly—from forty eight.6 lakh km in 2012 to 63.3 lakh km in 2019. The form of automobiles has extra than doubled, but dual carriageway expansion has elevated by most attention-grabbing about 30 percent, ensuing in a dramatic rise in traffic density. Necessary highways similar to NH-44 are now carrying volumes some distance previous what they were at the muse designed to handle. Meanwhile, enforcement manpower, pedestrian infrastructure, and trauma-care systems beget no longer expanded at the similar tempo, leaving the nation’s roads an increasing form of crowded, vulnerable, and unsafe.Authorities Turns To Social Media For SolutionsAmid rising concerns, the dual carriageway transport ministry has initiated an unconventional step: instructing NHAI and dual carriageway builders to construct and withhold YouTube channels to add usual drone-shot videos of dual carriageway building and progress.Street transport secretary V. Umashankar directed NHAI to put up videos at various phases of pattern for public viewing and suggestions. Ministry officers stated builders already post drone footage to businesses; making it public is intended to:
- Prolong transparency
- Serve public participation
- Crimson meat up accountability
Observers enlighten that while this measure may perhaps circuitously gash fatalities, it indicators a shift in the direction of extra originate and participatory monitoring of nationwide infrastructure projects.
A perceive at deadly accidents of 2025
Telangana fright: Gravel truck rams RTC bus, 19 Dreary (Nov 3)At the least 19 of us were killed and lots of others injured when a gravel-encumbered truck collided head-on with a Telangana Convey RTC bus shut to Mirjaguda, Chevella in Rangareddy district. Police stated the truck, allegedly utilizing in the disagreeable lane, hit the bus with such affect that the gravel spilled into the passenger cabin, crushing commuters trapped within.Andhra Pradesh tragedy: 20 boring in Kurnool after bus catches fireplace put up collision (Oct 24)In Kurnool district, a Hyderabad–Bengaluru sleeper coach operated by Kaveri Travels went up in flames after colliding with a bike on the Hyderabad–Bengaluru dual carriageway.
The bus door jammed because the fireplace spread, trapping passengers within. “The interiors had no fireplace-resistant materials,” stated DIG Koya Praveen, confirming as a minimum 20 deaths. Officers stated most victims died ensuing from asphyxiation and burns within minutes, elevating renewed concerns over security lapses in private sleeper coaches.Rajasthan tragedy: 15 pilgrims boring after Tempo collides with Truck in Phalodi (Nov 2)At the least 15 pilgrims — along side four kids and 10 ladies folk — were killed and two others injured when a tempo traveller hit a stationary trailer truck shut to Matoda village in Phalodi district.
The injured were rushed to a Jodhpur clinic through a green corridor.Matoda SHO Amnaram stated the victims were from the Mali neighborhood in Jodhpur’s Soorsagar space and were getting again from a pilgrimage to Kolayat in Bikaner district.NH-44: A Case Scrutinize Of UrgencyIndia’s highways uncover many tales, but NH-44 — especially the NCR stretch — now tells undoubtedly one of urgency. It’s a route the attach nationwide mobility meets systemic weak point, the attach like a flash expansion outpaces security reforms, and the attach lives lost change into info parts overshadowing the promise of pattern.The lethal aggregate is apparent:
- Excessive-speed corridors cutting through dense urban belts
- Exploding automotive populations
- Enforcement stretched thin
- Inadequate pedestrian planning
- Informal crossings and illegal access parts
- Heavy trucking stress
- Delayed security interventions
As India continues its push for world-class connectivity, NH-44 stands as a warning: infrastructure without security turns into a conduit of avoidable tragedy.The Human Fee Of NH-44From the 715 deaths on Haryana’s NH-44 stretch in 2023, to the 486 extra in 2024, to the nationwide figure of 1.73 lakh deaths in 2023 now poised to be surpassed again — the crisis demands systemic reform, no longer isolated fixes.
Blackspots require redesign; enforcement needs expertise; pedestrian infrastructure can not remain an afterthought; and accident info may perhaps restful be neatly timed and transparent.NH-44 is no longer just appropriate a dual carriageway. It’s a barometer — revealing how India strikes, and how dangerously.Until security turns into central to every kilometre constructed and every automotive allowed onto the dual carriageway, the nation will continue counting its losses in each day tolls, grieving families, and futures without note erased on its quickest roads.
