Srinagar witnesses 57 deaths in 429 road accidents this year

Srinagar, Dec 31: Road accidents remained one of the major traffic-related issues this year, with some minors also losing lives in deadly accidents.

As per the data accessed by Greater Kashmir, Srinagar witnessed 429 accidents this year. These accidents resulted in 57 deaths, which included some teenagers. One of the notable accidents that led to a major crackdown on underage driving was the Tengpora accident that resulted in the death of two school-going youngsters.

Following the accident, Traffic police cracked the whip on traffic violations with a focus on rash and underage driving. Officials said that this resulted in massive penalisation of commuters and that over four lakh challans were issued this year in Srinagar only.

As per the data, although the accident number remains alarming, it was less than the previous year, with 476 accidents recorded in 2023. In 2023, 56 people lost their lives in accidents. The data also revealed that in 2022, Srinagar witnessed 426 accidents and 53 accident deaths.

The data also revealed that in addition to commuters, pedestrians in Srinagar continue to fall prey to road accidents. In 2024, at least 15 pedestrians lost their lives to road accidents. The comparative data on pedestrian deaths reveal that pedestrian deaths also came down in Srinagar, with 2023 recording 27 pedestrian deaths and 2022 recording 29 pedestrian deaths. Officials said that disregard for traffic rules and lack of use in footpaths often contribute to pedestrian deaths.

“Encroachment of footpaths is also an issue which forces pedestrians to use main roads. This also puts these pedestrians at the risk of accidents,” said an official.

The horrendous accident on November 14 that claimed the lives of two minors at Tengpora shook Kashmir to its core. A speeding Thar vehicle driven by a minor crashed on the road, killing two minors on the spot and grievously injuring two others. The accident not only brought unbearable grief to the victims’ families but also served as a grim wake-up call for society. The incident prompted the authorities to launch a massive drive against unlicensed drivers, driving by minors and other traffic violations across Kashmir.

In addition to the Tengpora accident, there were other major accidents in which several people were killed. A few months back, at least three people were killed in two separate accidents in Lawaypora Srinagar. This included an SUV accident that killed a teenager. In addition to that, in March, two persons were killed after being hit by an ambulance near Children’s Hospital Srinagar. These accidents pushed officials to go tough on commuters and tighten a noose around traffic violations.

SSP Traffic Srinagar City, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah said that they have tried their best to avoid road conflicts and ensure rules are followed. He said that some accidents in Srinagar resulted in twin causalities in a single accident, which added to the fatalities.

“There have been multiple accidents in uptown Srinagar in the vicinity of NH-44. We cracked down on overspeeding and underage driving, and we are committed to continuing these drives. We aim to make efforts so that the factors contributing to these accidents are kept in check so that accidental deaths will decrease and roads are safer for commuters and pedestrians,” Shah said.