Srinagar, Feb 25: In 2022, J&K witnessed a surge in the number of road accidents. While the count of injured increased by over 20%, the total number of fatalities went up to 805 from 774 in 2021.
According to the annual report prepared by the traffic police J&K, number of accidents in the last year soared up to 6092 against 5452 in 2021. These included 654 fatal and more than 5000 non-fatal such incidents. Notably, since 2020 there has been an increase of over 25% in the road accidents.
As per the officials, violation of traffic rules remains the prime cause of road accidents. Overspeeding, red light jumping and avoiding safety gear have been identified as some factors leading to fatal accidents.
News stories about road accidents dominated the headlines in 2022, involving two wheelers in a good number of cases. While commuters asked the authorities to keep a check on overloading of buses, pedestrians and drivers appealed to penalize street racing and stunt biking.
As per experts, lack of robust and reliable public transport is another reason for overloaded roads in the valley. According to the recent NFHS survey, nearly 24% of the JK population owns a car which is highest in North India, thus adding to the risk of accidents.
Kashmir alone accounted for 2206 road accidents in 2022 claiming the lives of more than 200 people. Following the trend of the past three years, Srinagar city again topped the list by reporting 53 fatalities in 426 accidents.
While talking to Rising Kashmir SSP Traffic City, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah said that the increasing figures are a result of several factors, major being the resumption of normal life post covid. “In 2022, the roads remained busier than previous years, which is why it seems like there is an increase in road accidents,” he said.
As per SSP Traffic, it is an inescapable fact that the footfall of over 1 crore tourists last year kept roads more occupied than ever. “There was an unprecedented flow of traffic in the city,” that not only led to traffic congestion but also magnified the risk of accidents.
“We put the efforts and took all necessary steps to streamline the traffic in the city, if it was not so the numbers would have been much higher,” claimed Shah. In an action against traffic defaulters, out of the total 9,86,442 challans issued in J&K, more than 2 lac challans were issued in Srinagar alone.
While admitting that Bypass road remains a vulnerable area, Shah said that around 30% of the accidents in the city occur on this road. “We have identified a few black spots from Shalteng-Parimpora stretch” he said, adding that issues such as absence of service lanes and over bridges are being looked upon and will soon be resolved.
“In order to minimize the untoward incidents, the traffic police shall soon approach Deputy Commissioner Srinagar with a report containing recommendations about these black spots,” Shah declared.
The yearly report also reflects that while road accidents hiked in Pulwama and Shopian, the count of people who lost their lives remained less than 10 in both districts. Kupwara did better with a drop of over 10% in accidents, reporting 123 accidents in 2022 against 144 in year 2021. The count of casualties climbed to 36 in Anantnag last year against 26 in 2021. Further, Ganderbal also saw an increase of over 82% in the number of injuries pertaining to road mishaps.
Meanwhile, SSP Traffic Rural Kashmir Manzoor Ahmad Mir said that reckless driving and violating traffic rules are the reasons behind the accidents. “If the drivers/riders made sure to wear the helmet and seat belt, all of us would be safe,” he said adding that accidents are also a result of driving outside one’s lane or using mobile phones.
While acknowledging that valley’s per capita ownership of cars remains high, he said that “although expansion and improvement of road need to be done to avoid any crashes, however, practicing safe driving is pertinent to minimize the risk of accidents.” He also informed that in 2022, about 3 lac challans were issued in rural Kashmir generating about 5 crore rupees fine from violators.
Both officials noted that several awareness programs at various levels and in educational institutions are being carried out to encourage people towards safe driving. They added that the process shall continue in the year 2023. “We’ll reach out not only to the commuters or drivers but pedestrians too as they’re equally at a risk.” Both asserted over the fact that general public holds a greater responsibility and the department requires cooperation from people to keep the valley safe.
