One Out Of Three Highways Unsafe For Motorists In This State: NATPAC Report
A new study has exposed a major road safety concern in the South Indian state of Kerala. According to the data released by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC), one out of every three highways in Kerala is unsafe for motorists.
The report says that more than 2,200 km of Kerala’s national and state highways are “crash vulnerable.” The data is part of a detailed study done to help the state prepare a long-term road safety plan. The larger goal is to reduce road accident deaths in Kerala by 50 percent by the year 2030.
National Highways Are The Most Dangerous
Kerala’s national highways are the worst affected. Around 60% of the national highways in the state- more precisely, 1,089.4 km out of 1,811.52 km - are considered prone to accidents.
Coming to the state highways, 1,144 km out of 4,342 km, or roughly 26%, have also been marked unsafe. When combined, 36% of Kerala’s total highways — 2,233 km out of 6,153 km — are found to be dangerous for motorists.
Accident Rates Remain High
NATPAC's data also highlights the rate of crashes and road accidents across different road types. National highways record 5.15 crashes per kilometre each year (Average Annual Traffic Crashes (AATC)), which is the highest. State highways follow with 2.23 crashes per kilometre. Other roads, in comparison, report only about 0.10 crashes/km.
Thrissur Has The Riskiest Roads
Among all districts, Thrissur has the longest stretch of vulnerable roads, measuring 289.9 kilometres. Ernakulam stands second with 265.7 kilometres, closely followed by Kozhikode (224.3 km), Malappuram (219.7 km), and Alappuzha (192.4 km).
Districts like Kottayam (183.1 km), Thiruvananthapuram (174 km), Palakkad (168.2 km), and Kollam (143.1 km) also have major accident-prone highways. The lowest figures, however, are from Wayanad (47.7 km) and Idukki (49.8 km).
323 Dangerous Stretches, 4,592 Black Spots Across Kerala
Out of Kerala’s 2.05 lakh km of total roads, 323 dangerous stretches have been identified. This includes 149 risky segments on national highways and 174 on the state highways.
In addition, Kerala also has 4,592 accident-prone black spots. Ernakulam tops the chart with 703 of these, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (694) and Thrissur (548).
374 Black Spots Need Immediate Action
The report also marks 374 black spots that need urgent safety measures to be implemented. These are further split into two groups — 250 'Priority 1' locations and 124 'Priority 2' locations. You will find 227 of these on national highways, 84 on state highways, and 63 on other roads.
Kerala's Alarming Rise In Road Accident Rate
Kerala continues to face serious road safety problems. As per State Crime Records Bureau data, the number of road accidents has gone up from 36,000 in 2014 to 48,919 in the year 2024. This uptrend has made the roads in the state increasingly dangerous for daily commuters.
Despite its small size, this South Indian state accounts for 9.5% of all road accidents in India, ranking third in the state-wise listing. Tamil Nadu is first with 13.9%, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 11.8%.
The State Needs To Cut Road Deaths By 50%
The state is now working on a complete Road Safety Action Plan. The goal is to reduce crash-related deaths and injuries by at least 50% by 2030.
NATPAC says this plan will follow an “Integrated System Approach” to improve road safety across the state. As vehicles increase and roads stay narrow, Kerala must act fast to make its roads safer for everyone.