Nearly half of all road accident deaths recorded in Kerala between 2023 and 2025 occurred on national highways, according to figures placed before the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Thursday, 15 October 2026. Of the 11,697 total road fatalities during the two-year period, 5,991 — roughly 51% — took place on NH stretches, underscoring the disproportionate danger posed by the state's national highway network.

What the Numbers Reveal

The data, sourced from the office of Public Works Minister P.K. Basheer, was presented in response to questions raised by members of the legislative assembly. The figures span road deaths across all categories of roads in Kerala, but the concentration of fatalities on national highways — which account for a smaller share of the total road network — points to an acute safety deficit on high-speed corridors.

This is not an isolated trend. Nationally, highways have consistently recorded higher fatality rates per kilometre compared with state roads and urban streets, largely because of higher vehicle speeds and fewer pedestrian-safe infrastructure features.

What the Minister Said

Public Works Minister P.K. Basheer told the Assembly that overspeeding and traffic violations remained the primary causes of road accidents in the state. He maintained that road construction defects alone could not account for the scale of deaths. At the same time, Basheer acknowledged that road deficiencies also contributed to accidents, calling for a twin-track response: safer infrastructure alongside stricter enforcement of traffic rules.

The minister stated that road condition, accident history, and existing safety risks were evaluated before estimates were drawn up for road rehabilitation works. Safety measures, he said, were factored into rehabilitation plans based on these assessments.

Black Spots and Corrective Measures

The government has identified accident-prone locations — commonly referred to as black spots — through scientific studies carried out by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC). Joint inspections involving the police, the Motor Vehicles Department, and road-owning agencies are conducted at locations with a high frequency of crashes, with the aim of identifying causes and recommending remedial action.

Both temporary and permanent measures are being implemented at dangerous black spots on national highways. These include solar-powered blinkers, rumble strips, speed humps, reflective road signs, road markings, and road studs. Metal crash barriers and wire-rope barriers are also being installed along dangerous curves and road medians to reduce crash severity.

The Wider Challenge

Notably, the minister's reply underscores that engineering fixes, while necessary, are not sufficient on their own. Overspeeding and traffic-rule violations continue to be the dominant causal factors even on improved road stretches. This split — between infrastructure gaps and driver behaviour — has long defined the policy debate around road safety in India, and Kerala's data adds fresh urgency to it.

For the families of the 5,991 people killed on Kerala's national highways over two years, the debate over fault is secondary. Whether through better-designed roads, more rigorous enforcement, or both, the government faces mounting pressure to translate these figures into a measurable reduction in fatalities.