Talking on mobile phones while driving caused 4,976 road accidents, 2,138 deaths and left 4,746 people injured across the country in 2016, reveals a latest report.
According to the Road Accidents in India - 2016 report, these accidents occurred due to attention lapse on the part of drivers while using cell phones. The Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill, which is awaiting passage in Parliament, proposes Rs 5,000 fine, up from the existing Rs 1,000, on drivers caught talking on mobile phone while driving.
Driving on the wrong side caused 17,654 accidents and 5,705 deaths last year, said the report prepared by the Union Ministry of Road Transport.
According to the report released by Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari here on Wednesday, on an average 17 people died in 55 road accidents every hour last year, with 46.3 per cent of the victims being in the 18-35 age group.
The working age group of 18-60 years constituted 83.3 per cent of the total road accident fatalities, said the report.
Overall, 4,80,652 road accidents took place in India in 2016, resulting in the loss of 1,50,785 lives and inflicting serious injuries on 4,94,624 people.