Recently the Rajya Sabha was told that over the past five years, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a total of 28,172 road accidents, resulting in 8,965 fatalities and 36,615 injuries. The figures show that in 2018, the region recorded 5,978 accidents with 984 deaths and 7,845 injuries. The following year, 2019, saw 5,796 accidents with 996 fatalities and 7,532 injuries. In 2020, there were 4,860 accidents, leading to 728 deaths and 5,894 injuries. The year 2021 saw an increase of 5,452 accidents, resulting in 774 fatalities and 6,972 injuries. The most recent data for 2022 shows 6,092 accidents, which led to 805 deaths and 8,372 injuries.
The figures indicate that with every passing day, number of road accidents is increasing and so are the fatalities and injuries. The frequency of traffic accidents has shot up at an alarming pace much to the shock and scare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. If one goes by the reported cases of road accidents, the menace is taking a great toll on human lives now than it was ever before. The scene, particularly in Chinab Valley and Pir Panjal areas is too much worrisome.
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There are over 700,000 vehicles in the UT which make it very high number if other factors are also taken into consideration. The roads which are considered as the backbone for the proliferation of vehicles in any state or country, have become so constricted here that pedestrians find it hard to get along a road without fear of being hit by a passing vehicle. Obviously the government is lagging far behind in laying new roads so that the increasing flow of traffic could be regulated in a smooth manner without the roads getting congested, clogged or jammed for hours together. It is an ill-devised strategy to let the population of vehicles multiply unchecked to match the number of persons in the state in absence of the roads.
Union Minister, Nitin Gadkari recently said that to tackle road safety challenges, his ministry has implemented several measures, including the Road Safety Advocacy Scheme, which provides financial support for road safety awareness campaigns and programs. National Road Safety Month/Week is observed annually to promote road safety awareness. The ministry is working on establishing Institutes of Driving Training & Research (IDTRs), Regional Driving Training Centres (RDTCs), and Driving Training Centres (DTCs) at various state and district levels across the country. Besides several vehicle safety initiatives have also been introduced, such as mandatory airbags for front-seat passengers, safety norms for young children riding on motorcycles, and the implementation of advanced safety technologies.
While these measures would help to ensure road safety but need is to tighten the Regional Transport Authorities which are issuing permits without taking the road accommodation into consideration. With it the indiscriminate issuance of driving licenses to those who do not undergo any proper trainings and subsequent tests for securing the licenses as per the rules, makes the mess more fearsome. It is no wonder to see people in younger teens driving passenger vehicles without anyone taking notice of the killing trend. In most of the cases it is these untrained drivers who are seen hitting and crushing people to death or maimed for life.
