Srinagar: More people have died in road accidents than militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in the last four years.
Over 22,000 road fatalities have occurred in the union territory during the last four years. During the same period, more than 1100 people including militants, security personnel, and civilians have died in strife.
As per the figures accessed by The Kashmir Monitor, 22,258 persons have died in road accidents from 2017 to 2020 in Jammu and Kashmir. Around 5624 people died in 2017, which went up to 5978 deaths in 2018. In 2019, 5796 deaths were reported in road mishaps. Last year, however, the number fell to 4860.
Of the total 22,258 deaths, 500 have occurred on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway alone.
Last year road accidents have killed as many as 47,984 people on National Highways, across India.
As per officials, more deaths have occurred in the Jammu region particularly in Pir Panjal and the national highway.
“For the last few years, we have been witnessing that road accident have been mostly occurring in Rajouri, Doda, Poonch and other areas which are located at high altitude. In the Kashmir region, accidents occur mainly on the national highway due to the negligence of drivers and other reasons,” they said.
Officials said the traffic department was constantly raising awareness regarding road safety.
As per the Ministry of Roads and Transport, major causes of accidents on the National Highways (NHs) in Jammu and Kashmir are due to vehicle design and condition, road engineering, over-speeding, drunken driving/ consumption of alcohol and drug, driving on the wrong side, jumping the red light and use of the mobile phone during driving.
Pertinently, the Centre has launched a scheme to create awareness on road safety through electronic media, print media, and NGOs.
The recently passed motor vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 also enlists huge penalties for ensuring strict compliance and enhancing deterrence.
