Even as fatal road crashes in the national capital dropped in number during the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, the death toll on the city’s roads remains alarmingly high, claiming nearly four lives every day, official data reveals.
According to figures shared by Delhi Police, 2,235 road accidents were reported between January and May this year, resulting in 577 fatalities and 2,187 injuries.While this marks a slight dip in overall accidents from 2,322 cases and 652 deaths reported during the same period in 2024, the national capital still faces a major challenge in curbing road violence.
Moreover, the total number of people injured in road accidents has seen a gradual increase from 2,106 injured in the first five months of 2024 to 2,187 this year.March stood out as the deadliest month this year, recording 137 fatal accidents and 139 deaths. Surprisingly, even as April saw fewer fatal crashes, with 91 such accidents, it reported the highest number of injuries -- 476 this year -- indicating a rise in high-impact collisions.
A total of 458 accidents, including 100 fatal ones resulting in 107 deaths and 458 injuries, were recorded in May 2025. The figures in May last year stood slightly higher with 447 total accidents, including 125 fatal resulting in 127 deaths.While the number of fatal accidents declined by 13.5 per cent this year from the corresponding period last year, coming down from 643 in 2024 to 556 in 2025, the number of people injured has increased, suggesting a change in the nature and possibly severity of non-fatal crashes.
The data also shows that minor accidents, which resulted in small injuries, have slightly risen in 2025 with a total of 1,654 cases compared to 1,634 in 2024. The number of non-injury accidents has halved. 45 such cases were reported in 2024 and the figure this year is just 25.
Meanwhile, in the past four years, Delhi Police have filed Detailed Accident Reports (DARs) in over 94% of fatal road crash cases, helping streamline the compensation process for victims’ families, data showed. Between January 1, 2021, and April 30, 2025, the city recorded 6,341 fatal road accidents. Of these, DARs were submitted in 6,004 cases—a 94.7% compliance rate, according to data shared by the Delhi Police.
DARs are a crucial document required in road accident cases as they are the primary documents used by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) to assess the circumstances of a crash, determine liability, and process financial compensation. A well-prepared DAR includes all relevant evidence—eyewitness accounts, technical inspection reports, and medical documentation—enabling swifter, fairer disbursal of compensation.In the past, delays in these reports often meant victims’ families waited months, even years, for relief.
The push for timely DARs stems from a 2016 Supreme Court directive, which led to the creation of the Fast Detailed Accident Report (FDAR) mechanism. FDAR aims to ensure compensation is awarded within 10 days in eligible fatal accident cases. To qualify, the crash must result from rash or negligent driving, the driver must have a valid licence, the vehicle must be insured, commercial vehicles must have valid permits and fitness certificates, and there must be no violations like drunk or underage driving.
Follow us
