Wrecked remains of a bus which fell into a gorge while carrying passengers, in Doda district of Jammu & Kashmir.
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: Road accidents have claimed 4,278 lives from 2018 to 2022 in Jammu & Kashmir, a figure which is more than three times higher than those killed due to militancy.
According to a recently released report by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), an alarming total of 4,287 lives were tragically lost due to road accidents from 2018 to 2022 in J&K.
The report reveals 984 lives were consumed by road accidents in 2018 while the figure was 996 in 2019. In Covid-19 hit years of 2020 and 2021, the numbers came down with 728 and 774 deaths respectively before, rising to 805 deaths in 2022.
A significant portion of the road fatalities in J&K were attributed to accidents on national highways, particularly in hilly Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban areas of Jammu region. The treacherous road conditions between Jammu to Srinagar and Jammu to Doda-Kishtwar have led to numerous accidents.
According to Firdous Tak, a PDP leader from the region, overloading, no crash barriers, bad roads and inadequate buses remain four prime reasons for frequent road accidents in hilly Doda-Kishtwar.
As per the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, J&K ranks second across India in the tally of 10,000 vehicles with an average of 900 deaths every year. The number of vehicles on roads in Jammu and Kashmir have increased by 100 per cent since 2014.
As per the yearly analysis of road accident data, based on the first information report (FIR) data received from various states and UTs, road accident deaths occur due to multiple causes, such as over speeding, use of mobile phone, drunken driving or consumption of alcohol and drug, driving on the wrong side or lane indiscipline, jumping a red light, non-use of safety devices such as helmets and seatbelts.