For 6th Year, Bengaluru Recorded Highest Civic Negligence Related Road Deaths Among Metros

Bengaluru continued to record the highest number of civic negligence related road accident deaths among India's metropolitan cities in 2024, marking the sixth consecutive year the city has topped the list despite an overall dip in accidents, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.

The NCRB data showed that Bengaluru reported 17 accidents linked to civic agency negligence in 2024, down from 20 in 2023. These cases largely involved potholes, dug up stretches, damaged roads and poor civic maintenance. Among major Indian cities, only Bengaluru and Delhi reported such negligence related accidents, with Delhi recording five incidents.

Overall road accidents in Karnataka, including Bengaluru, witnessed a marginal decline in 2024 compared to the previous year. Karnataka recorded 43,062 accidents, resulting in 52,591 injuries and 12,390 deaths, reflecting a 0.9 per cent drop from 2023.

Bengaluru alone accounted for 4,769 accidents in 2024, leaving 4,022 people injured and 894 dead. The city recorded a 4.2 per cent reduction in accidents compared to 2023, but the numbers continued to remain high.

Overspeeding emerged as the leading cause behind Bengaluru's accidents in 2024. The city recorded 4,285 overspeeding related crashes, which caused 3,609 injuries and 776 deaths.

Hit and run incidents accounted for another 204 cases and were linked to 214 deaths, while police recorded 129 drunk driving related accidents that led to 45 deaths.

The NCRB data also showed Bengaluru continued to remain the most dangerous metro city for pedestrians. Although pedestrian deaths reduced from 292 in 2023 to 246 in 2024, the city still recorded the highest number of pedestrian fatalities among India's mega cities.

A senior official associated with the Bengaluru Traffic Police in 2024 said targeted interventions helped bring down accident numbers across the city.

"We put up barricades and high medians on several stretches to reduce human vehicle conflict. We identified accident blackspots, and BBMP resolved many of them through focused interventions. An 80 kmph speed limit was also introduced on the International Airport Road and NICE Road, both of which are highly accident prone," the official said.

Officials believe the combined efforts of the traffic police and the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike contributed to the modest decline in accidents and fatalities in 2024. However, the continued high number of injuries, pedestrian deaths and civic negligence linked crashes underline the city's ongoing road safety challenges.