Overview of truck accidents in India and its economic loss estimation

India contributed to 11% of the global road crashes and was ranked 1st st among road deaths according to the World Health Organization report 20181. Indian highways is a meagre 5% of the country’s road network but accounts for 55% of the road crashes and 63% of the road deaths2. Majority of the freight traffic is ferried by trucks/lorries along these highways and this in turn increases the probability of them being involved in a road crash. In the year 2018, 15 000 road deaths were associated with truck/lorry occupants already. However, the country’s economy is forecasted to thrive in the coming years and hence the requirement of trucks in the supply chain shall play at pivotal role. The trucking industry is an unorganized sector wherein for example the illegal overloading of vehicles and over-the-limit driving hours pose a serious threat to road users. First objective of the paper is to outline a comprehensive overview and root cause analysis for truck accidents on national level. The analysis shows results of appropriate extrapolations using the Road Accident Sampling System India (RASSI) database together with MoRTH2 data and a weighting methodology to provide an overview on the national scale, creating a first of its kind representative sample study for India. The second objective is to estimate the economic loss incurred by the owners and fleet operators due to these truck crashes using the Human Capital (HC) method. Summarized, as first of its kind this study links the Indian specific crash situation involving trucks to their corresponding economic loss by taking personal, property damage or cargo loss into account. The results of this study can be used by OEMs, fleet operators, automotive research industry and transport authorities for technological innovations, infrastructural changes and law enforcement in an attempt at making Indian roads safer.