Road traffic crashes (RTCs) remain a leading cause of death worldwide, claiming an estimated 1.19 million lives annually. Alarmingly, the most affected population comprises young individuals aged between 5 and 29 years. Globally, approximately 3,200 people lose their lives each day due to RTCs.
In India alone, over 1.7 lakh people died in road crashes in 2023, which translates to an average of 474 fatalities per day—nearly one death every three minutes. To put this in perspective, the daily road death toll is nearly double the passenger capacity of an Airbus A320, equating to the impact of two such planes crashing every single day.
| 1% world’s registered vehicles, India accounts for 11% of the global deaths in RTCs
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| 3x higher death rates in LMICs than in HICs
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| 1.19 million deaths each year globallydue to RTCs
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| Highlights of Global and Indian road safety |
This comparison underscores the devastating scale of road fatalities and highlights the urgent need for enhanced road safety measures.An analysis of road crash victims reveals that pedestrians and motorized two-wheeler users constitute the majority of fatalities. A detailed breakdown of crash victims is illustrated in the accompanying pie chart, developed by the TRIP Centre at IIT Delhi.
Estimates of the share of different road user fatalities in India
Road Safety Status of Jammu and Kashmir
According to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Jammu and Kashmir ranks second in India in terms of fatalities per 10,000 registered vehicles, with an average of approximately 900 deaths annually due to RTCs. Between 2018 and 2022, RTCs claimed a total of 4,278 lives in the region. The report indicates that 984 individuals lost their lives in 2018, followed by 996 in 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, the number of fatalities declined to 728 and 774, respectively. However, the death toll rose again to 805 in 2022. These figures suggest that, on average, at least three individuals lose their lives every day due to RTCs in Kashmir alone, underscoring the need for addressing this issue.
| 3 individualslose their lives every day due to RTCs |
| 2nd in India in terms of fatalities per 10,000 registered vehicles |
| 900 deaths annually due to RTCs |
| Road safety status of Kashmir |
Causes and Contributing Factors
When considering Kashmir as a whole, the region comprises a mix of urban, rural, and hilly areas, each with distinct contributing factors to RTCs. However, a common concern across all regions is poor road infrastructure.
In hilly districts such as Ramban and Doda, roads are typically narrow, poorly maintained, and often lack essential safety features such as guardrails, proper signage, adequate superelevation, grade compensation, and speed-calming measures. Moreover, frequent landslides and adverse weather conditions further increase the risk of RTCs in these areas.
In contrast, urban districts like Jammu and Srinagar face challenges such as traffic congestion (which, paradoxically, may sometimes reduce crash severity), skewed intersections, lack of traffic enforcement, and inadequate traffic management systems—all of which contribute to unsafe road conditions.The crisis is further exacerbated by the lack of efficient emergency response systems.
In many instances, victims of RTCs do not receive timely medical assistance due to limited mobile connectivity and the absence of well-equipped trauma centres along major highways. This delay in care significantly increases both the fatality rate and the severity of injuries.In summary; the road environment throughout the region is far from forgiving. The current state of infrastructure places road users in constant danger, where even a single mistake can prove fatal.
Suggestions for Government
When it comes to policy implementation and enforcement in Kashmir, a common pattern is observed: enforcement activities become visibly operative only after a major RTC occurs. In the aftermath of such incidents, relevant departments often initiate sudden crackdowns, such as seizing two-wheelers or imposing fines for traffic violations that were prevalent even before the crash. This reactive approach not only creates a negative public perception of enforcement agencies but also is not an effective measure to reduce the RTCs.
Instead of relying on reactive measures, there must be consistent and proactive efforts to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of services aimed at enhancing road safety. One of the most critical steps the government must undertake is to institutionalize a culture of crash analysis. There is an urgent need to establish a dedicated scientific road safety centre in Kashmir, with a sole focus on analysing contributing factors to RTCs, identifying high-risk locations, and recommending targeted, evidence-based interventions. Such a centre should integrate expertise across technical, enforcement, and policy domains.
Given that road safety is a multidisciplinary issue, addressing it effectively requires a collaborative approach. It is essential to bring together traffic police, road safety engineers, transportation planners, public health professionals, and policymakers on a common platform to ensure a holistic and coordinated response.
Understanding factors contributing to crashes in Kashmir
A notable study conducted in Kashmir in 2022 by the present author, Dr. Ubaid Illahi (Faculty member at Atlantic Technological University Sligo,Ireland), and Prof. M.S. Mir (Dean Academics, NIT Srinagar) from NIT Srinagar utilized crash severity data collected from SKIMS Soura. Primarily, this study focused on quantifying the contribution of various factors and proposing evidence-based policy suggestions. The results are provided in the form of a figure below, which shows the influence of all the factors considered in this study.
Based on the findings, this study recommends policy measures in two main areas:
- Enforcement Agencies
- Strict enforcement of speed limits and continuous monitoring through speed cameras.
- Training programs and workshops conducted by road safety experts for relevant authorities, such as Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police officials. These sessions should ensure officials are well-informed about basic road safety principles and updated on the latest techniques for addressing road crash issues.
- Incentivizing safe driving behaviour. For example, drivers who maintain a violation-free record for three consecutive years could receive benefits like a free vehicle pollution certificate for one year. Initiatives like these can foster positive driving behaviours with beneficial long-term impacts.
- Infrastructure Agencies
- Implementation of effective traffic-calming measures, such as rumble strips and appropriately designed speed humps.
- Ensuring adequate widths for both roads and shoulders.
- Upgrading intersections to roundabouts wherever feasible to enhance safety.
- Installation of raised crosswalks in areas with substantial pedestrian movement, protecting pedestrians from potential road hazards.
- Enhancement of overhead pedestrian crossings through the installation of escalators and moving walkways, encouraging pedestrians to utilize these facilities.
- Planning new road networks to be pedestrian-friendly by improving accessibility, connectivity, and overall safety.
While the Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police have done commendable work in maintaining crash records at the district level, there is a need to collect more.
Quantitative Influence of various contributing factors
(Author is a PhD scholar and PMRF Fellow at IIT Delhi. His research focuses on understanding the influence of road network structure on traffic-related externalities, including road crashes, air pollution, and congestion. Feedback: [email protected])
