Kerala has been ranked third and accounts for 10 per cent of the total number of road accidents in the country, as per the latest report released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The report released for the year 2023 shows that Kerala is ranked after Tamil Nadu (1) and Madhya Pradesh (2) in the total number of road accidents.

Between 2022 and 2023, the state recorded a 9.5 per cent increase in the number of road accidents. Kerala's rank has gone up from 5 to 3 in four years in terms of the total number of road accidents in the country. The number of accident-related fatalities dropped in Kerala from 4,317 in 2022 to 4,080 in 2023.  Head-on collision resulted in the highest number of accident deaths in Kerala, 750. Hit-and-run accidents claimed 78 lives in 2023 in the state.

The highest number of road accidents was reported on the straight road in Kerala; 28,546 accidents, which claimed 2,366 lives. The number of accidents was lower on curved roads; 5,714  accidents and 558 deaths. While bad roads are often blamed in the state for accidents, the report presents a starkly different picture: potholes caused just six accidents in Kerala, and one person died in 2023. Accidents on roads where construction works were underway resulted in 67 deaths in Kerala in 2023.

As many as 1,694 accidents were reported in police-controlled junctions, which caused the loss of 107 lives in 2023. Sunny days recorded more accidents than the rainy season in Kerala. Forty thousand nineteen accidents were reported when the weather was sunny/clear, whereas on rainy days, 3974 accidents occurred in the state in 2023.

Two-wheelers and pedestrians made up the largest number of fatalities: 2,233 and 1,129, respectively. Pedestrians were mostly killed in accidents involving two-wheelers, 435, followed by cars, which killed 413 pedestrians. Two-wheelers also resulted in 30 deaths of bicycle riders. Even with stringent penalties against the practice of minors driving vehicles; Kerala reported 28 deaths of drivers below the age of 18.

Under traffic violations, speeding resulted in 26,500  accidents in Kerala, claiming 2107 deaths. The state ranks 4th in accidents due to speeding. Accidents due to drunk driving accounted for 19 deaths and 196 accidents. Drivers without licenses resulted in 899 accidents.

The state has recorded a dip in the number of accidents on National Highways; from 17,627 in 2022 to 10,640 in 2023. The state recorded the highest number of accidents in the country on National Highways under the state Public Works Department; 9892. Nine hundred eighty deaths were recorded on the NH under the Kerala PWD. For the second consecutive year, Kerala has recorded the highest pedestrian fatalities on PWD-run NH 288. In 2022, 329 pedestrians died on NH under the state PWD.