Eleven precious lives were lost while around 28 people sustained injuries, mostly critical, in a road mishap in district Poonch of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. While the present Lt. Governor might have shown eagerness to bring down the number of casualties in traffic accidents across Jammu and Kashmir, some surveys have put the number of dead, in road accidents, over 1000 people every year across the J&K.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in 2018, J&K topped the list of “high accidental death-prone areas”.
While J&K ranked second in terms of the total number of road accidents per 10,000 vehicles as per union Road Transport ministry survey, NCRB survey has stated that a single accident in J&K has a 64 percent chance of causing death compared to 36.4 percent for the entire country.
Road safety experts believe that the topography of J&K is the reason behind the growing rate of accidents. The terrain is one of the factors for a higher number of accidents here. We witness accidents in hilly areas where the rate of fatalities is quite high, but the main problem is lack of enforcement staff—an issue that merits consideration of the government.
As per experts, the high level of accidents in Jammu and Kashmir is mostly a result of its hilly topography. However, a cursory look at the nation-wide statistics indicates that other hilly states do not register such a high rate of accidents.
Under the Jammu & Kashmir State Road Safety Policy, the government should increase its efforts to promote awareness about the various aspects of road safety, the social and economic implications of road accidents and what needs to be done to curb the rising menace of road accidents.
The government must focus and take measures on increasing the number of vehicles, less road length, faulty roads, negligent driving and worn out vehicles which are considered among the reasons seen for growing accidents in J&K.
