Over 37,000 Killed On India's 6,358 Highway "Black Corridors" In 3 Years

Over 37,000 deaths occurred on 6,358 black corridors of National Highways from 2023 to 2025.

23 Jul 2026, 01:50 · www.ndtv.com

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More than 37,000 deaths occurred on 6,358 black corridors from 2023-2025 on National Highways
Black corridors cover 6,409.7 km, identified using AI tools and accident data from e-DAR platform
Tamil Nadu has the most black corridors at 958, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 671 stretches

Why did the government not report how many black corridors were fixed?
New Delhi:

More than 37,000 people were killed on 6,358 accident-prone stretches of National Highways between 2023 and 2025, the government has told Parliament.

The stretches, identified as "black corridors", cover a combined length of 6,409.7 km. The government said 37,164 deaths were recorded on them during the three-year period.

The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry shared the figures in response to a question by Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose.

The corridors were identified in real time using artificial intelligence-based tools and accident data available on the Electronic Detailed Accident Report, or e-DAR, platform.

Black corridors are continuous stretches of National Highways that qualify as accident black spots, locations which have recorded a specified number of crashes involving deaths and grievous injuries.

Tamil Nadu Has Most Black Corridors

Government data tabled in the Rajya Sabha shows Tamil Nadu has the highest number of black corridors at 958.

Uttar Pradesh is second with 671 such stretches, followed by Karnataka with 607. Maharashtra has 477, while Kerala and Andhra Pradesh have 386 and 384, respectively.

Tamil Nadu's Villupuram has the highest count among the districts and policing jurisdictions listed in the government data, with 70 black corridors.

Pune Rural has 60 such stretches, followed by Tamil Nadu's Trichy with 56, West Bengal's Purba Medinipur with 52, Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore with 49 and Kerala's Palakkad with 48.

The district-wise figures were provided to a separate Rajya Sabha question.

What The Government Plans To Do

The government said immediate safety measures on accident-prone stretches include road markings, warning signs, crash barriers, road studs and delineators.

The measures also include closing unauthorised median openings and introducing traffic-calming steps.

Permanent work can involve improving road geometry and junctions, widening the carriageway at specific locations and constructing underpasses or overpasses.

The government said such work can take time because it may require land acquisition, forest clearances and the shifting of utilities.

Road-safety audits have also been made mandatory for National Highways at the design, construction, pre-opening, operation and maintenance stages.

The Centre said Road Safety Officers have been designated at regional offices of road-owning agencies to oversee audits and other safety-related work. The e-DAR platform, meanwhile, acts as a central repository for reporting, managing and analysing road-accident data.

How Many Were Fixed? Centre Doesn't Say

The government, in its reply, listed short- and long-term safety measures but did not say how many of the 6,358 black corridors had been fully fixed.

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