We scroll past, barely blinking. We double-tap. We comment with a brief “so sad” and move on to the next reel. The question isn’t just why these accidents are happening—it’s why we’ve grown so used to watching them.
India records one of the highest numbers of road fatalities globally. According to NCRB data, over 1.5 lakh people die annually on Indian roads. That’s over 400 people a day. But instead of shock, the volume of such news has led to what psychologists call trauma saturation—when repeated exposure to tragedy dulls the emotional response.
We’re not ignoring suffering intentionally. We’re absorbing so much of it that we’ve become numb.
The rise of dashcam, CCTV, and bystander-shot footage means accidents are now widely available to watch. On social media, these clips rack up millions of views. Sometimes they’re shared as cautionary tales. But increasingly, they are consumed for their shock value—stripped of context, humanity, or resolution.
The victims become thumbnails. The incident becomes “content.” And as we scroll through yet another hit-and-run, it becomes harder to feel.
What This Is Doing to Us
1. Compassion Fatigue
When tragedy becomes constant, it becomes background noise. The result? A decline in the very human instinct to help. People stop calling for ambulances. Bystanders hesitate. Empathy gives way to apathy.
2. Dehumanisation
We stop seeing the person on the screen as someone’s parent, sibling, or child. They become a nameless casualty in a sea of tragedies.
3. Reduced Accountability
The more normalised accidents become, the more numb we become to injustice. The outrage needed to drive legal change, better infrastructure, or safer enforcement often fades before it can take root.
Road accidents are no longer rare or remote. But they are still deeply tragic. The danger isn’t just on the streets—it’s in our hearts becoming indifferent.
