MoRTH to unveil fresh black spot data for safer highways

November 4, 2025 Hot from the Oven Valli Sarvani

India is moving closer to safer roads as the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) prepares to release updated black spot data for 2023 and 2024.

The information has been compiled using the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) and Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) systems, which record accidents in real time through inputs from state police.

Black spots are identified as 500-metre stretches on National Highways that witness frequent serious accidents.

A stretch qualifies as a black spot if five or more fatal or grievous accidents, or at least ten deaths, occur within three years.

These locations are crucial for formulating targeted road safety strategies and rectification measures.

MoRTH’s Transport Research Wing (TRW) is responsible for collecting, verifying, and numbering these black spots.

Under the previous cycle, data for 2020–22 revealed 1,330 such accident-prone stretches. From 2016 to 2022, 13,795 black spots were identified, and long-term safety improvements were completed on 5,036 of them.

Earlier, data collection relied on manual submission by states, which caused delays and inconsistencies.

The introduction of e-DAR and iRAD between 2021 and 2022 has made reporting faster and more reliable.

The system uses mobile apps to geo-tag accidents on-site, allowing police officers and first responders to upload accurate details immediately.

According to a senior MoRTH official, discrepancies between TRW and e-DAR figures have now been reduced to below 5%.

Punjab and Jharkhand earlier showed the largest mismatches. For 2024, the difference between the two datasets stood at 18,069 accidents (3.96%) and 7,020 fatalities (4.30%).

Punjab’s TRW records showed 4,759 deaths, while e-DAR reflected only 533.

Officials said that regular coordination between the Road Safety Cell, Chief Engineers, and state police departments is helping harmonise records.

The soon-to-be-released black spot data will enable advanced planning for engineering upgrades and enforcement measures.

With improved accuracy and real-time monitoring, MoRTH aims to reduce highway deaths, strengthen preventive action, and minimise losses amounting to several crores of rupees each year.

Image Credit: TeshTesh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons