At least 1,728 people from the same families were killed in 525 road accidents involving auto-rickshaws between 2020 and October 2026, highlighting the growing risk of multiple family members dying in a single crash.

In 211 of the accidents, two members of the same family were killed. Another 118 crashes claimed three family members each, while 92 incidents killed four members each, according to a report by the Road Safety Foundation released on Sunday.

The toll was even higher in some accidents. Five members of the same family were killed in 53 incidents, six in 38 and seven in 13 incidents.

The findings point to a disturbing pattern in which a single road crash can wipe out several members of a family travelling together.

The foundation attributed the trend partly to the growing tendency of entire families to travel together for work or recreational purposes. It also identified the operation of auto-rickshaws on highways as a major factor contributing to such fatalities.

The report, based on information published in nine national dailies, 17 online news portals, electronic media and the foundation's own records, examined road accidents from 2020 to October 2026.

It estimated that nearly 300 families had been completely wiped out in road accidents during the six years and 10 months.

The report also documented multiple-family fatalities involving motorcycles, microbuses, private cars, ambulances and buses.

Motorcycle accidents accounted for 193 incidents in which husbands and wives were killed and 159 in which fathers and their children died. Microbus crashes killed 708 people from the same families in 186 incidents, while private car accidents claimed 352 lives in 108 incidents.

Ambulance accidents killed 162 people in 45 incidents, while 85 people died in 32 bus accidents involving multiple members of the same family.

The foundation identified several factors behind the fatalities, including the operation of auto-rickshaws on highways, unfit microbuses and ambulances, inadequate driving skills, driver fatigue, reckless motorcycle riding, the use of substandard helmets and disregard for traffic laws.

It recommended constructing road dividers and service roads on highways, developing safer connections between rural roads and highways, and strengthening monitoring of vehicle movement.

The foundation also called for greater institutional accountability and public awareness programmes to improve road users' knowledge and safety practices.