India’s most dangerous driving hour: Report reveals! This is not the time to rush.

If you’re planning a long drive, the time of day may be more important than you think. A new road safety study has found that the period between 9 pm and 10 pm is the riskiest time to drive on Indian roads, while driving between 1 pm and 2 am appears to be the safest. The findings come from the India Road Safety Report (IRSR) 2026 released by Zoono General Insurance.The report analyzed over 4.5 million trips, over 55 million kilometers of driving data and information from over 27,000 active users of the Zuno SmartDrive app spanning 17 states.

Other key findings of the report:

According to the study, driving behavior remains relatively stable during most of the day but begins to deteriorate after 8 p.m. The average driving score drops to 86 between 9pm and 10pm, making it the riskiest time for motorists. In comparison, drivers recorded an average score of 93 between 1 pm and 2 pm, the highest of all the time slots analyzed.The report also challenges some common assumptions about driving habits. Women and men recorded almost identical driving scores, with women scoring 92.86 and men scoring 92.43. The findings suggest that driving behaviour, rather than demographic factors, paints the clearest picture of road risk. Researchers have identified sudden braking and harsh acceleration as the most vulnerable aspects of driving behavior among Indian motorists. Sudden braking received an average score of 87, while harsh acceleration received a score of 91. These habits are often associated with unsafe maneuvers and can increase the likelihood of accidents.Interestingly, seasonal changes had little impact on driving patterns. The average driving score remained largely the same across summer, monsoon and winter, indicating that driver behavior plays a bigger role in road safety than weather conditions.The report also highlights a major concern. According to the findings, behavioral factors contribute to more than 80 percent of road accidents in India. This includes issues such as speeding, distracted driving and unsafe road practices. Road safety remains a major challenge for the country. About 1.73 lakh road deaths are recorded in India every year, which is about 11 percent of global road deaths. The economic impact is also significant, with road accidents estimated to cost between 3 percent and 5 percent of the country’s GDP. About two-thirds of the deaths involve people aged 18 to 45.The report also notes that vulnerable road users are most affected. Of the total road deaths in India, 44 percent are of two-wheeler drivers, while about 19 percent of deaths are of pedestrians.