In a horrifying tally of 346 road accident fatalities over the past five months, J&K saw an average of two deaths daily, according to official figures.
Official data accessed by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reveals a total of 346 lives lost in road accidents over the past five months, averaging two fatalities per day.
“2,318 road accidents occurred across J&K during these five months, resulting in 346 fatalities and 3,089 injuries. Among these accidents, 262 were fatal and 2,056 were non-fatal incidents,” the data reveals.
The figures show that in Jammu district, 70 people died in accidents, while Udhampur witnessed 40 deaths. “In Kashmir, Baramulla district recorded the highest with 19 deaths, followed by Kulgam with 18 deaths,” the data reveals.
The data further shows that Jammu district recorded the highest number of accidents at 467, with Srinagar district following closely with 201 accidents.
To curb road accidents and ensure the safety of people, the Traffic Police have issued a total of 612,842 challans till May this year, including 425,972 court challans and 186,869 compound challans.
Experts call for public education, road improvements and stringent law enforcement to curb accidents.
“Accidents happen because of excessive speed, overloading, poor road connectivity, and aggressive driving. Vehicle problems, breaking traffic rules, and lack of experience also contribute to fatalities,” they said.
They added that road safety measures and awareness campaigns are crucial to protecting commuters’ lives and reducing the tragic toll of road accidents—(KNO)