The other day, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha that as many as 1.78 lakh people are killed in road accidents annually in the country and 60 percent of the victims are in the age group of 18-34 years and lamented that people do not fear the law and many drive two-wheelers without helmets and some jump the red signals. The Minister informed the House that while Uttar Pradesh leads in deaths due to road accidents, in cities, Delhi tops the chart in such deaths. In Uttar Pradesh, over 23,000 people or 13.7 percent of the total deaths are due to road accidents followed by Tamil Nadu with over 18,000 (10.6 percent) deaths. In cities, Delhi leads the chart with over 1400 deaths, followed by Bengaluru with 915 deaths. Jaipur registers 850 deaths due to road accidents.
A few months back, 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 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 nationwide, Jammu and Kashmir being no exception. 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.
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.
While concerned government agencies should pull their socks and take appropriate measures to tackle the situation, the society as a whole has to understand the gravity of the situation. Allowing teenagers to drive without having driving license is simply signing their death warrants. Parents have to wake up otherwise it would be too late.