A total of 19,478 road accidents occurred in 2021 due to loss of control by the driver due to inappropriate speed, distraction or misjudging a curve, which claimed 9,150 lives and injured 19,077 people, according to a report released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

The report titled 'Road accidents in India — 2021', said the nature of accident or collision types at aggregate national-level data shows an increase in 2021 compared to 2020.

Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant had a miraculous escape after his luxury car crashed into a road divider and caught fire after he dozed off at the wheel on the Delhi-Dehradun highway in the early hours of Friday.

The 25-year-old suffered injuries on his head, back and feet but is in stable condition, Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police Ajai Singh said.

A total of 4,12,432 road accidents occurred in 2021, which claimed 1,53,972 lives while 3,84,448 people were injured.

According to the report, hit from the back (21.2 percent) accounted for the largest share in total accidents and the total number of persons killed (18.6 percent) during 2021 followed by 'head on collision' (18.5 percent) and (17.7 percent), respectively.

Head-on collisions are known to occur on roads with narrow lanes, sharp curves, unseparated lanes for two-way traffic and also busy stretches.

A hit from the back or a rear-end collision occurs when a vehicle crashes into the one in front of it.

Common factors contributing to rear-end collisions include the driver's lack of attention or distraction, tailgating (back to back) at junctions, panic stops and reduced traction due to wet weather or worn pavement.

According to the report, the other major types of collision which caused death are 'hit & run' (16.8 percent) and 'hit from the side' (11.9 percent).

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