India's national highway deaths drop 4.1% while road deaths rise

India Aug 03, 2026

India's national highways finally saw fewer fatalities in 2025, a first since the pandemic, with deaths dropping by 4.1%.

But while national highways got safer, the bigger picture isn't great: total road deaths across the country actually went up.

States show mixed national highway fatalities

Some states made real progress: Uttar Pradesh had the biggest drop in national highway fatalities, and Madhya Pradesh and Punjab also improved.

Meanwhile, places like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra saw more national highway deaths than before.

Fun fact: Lakshadweep kept its streak of zero national highway fatalities since 2022 (though it doesn't have any national highways).