 Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 11: Rash driving and overspeeding continue to be the leading causes of fatal road accidents in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, accounting for an overwhelming majority of deaths in the past five years.
Of the 4,031 road fatalities reported between 2020 and 2024, as many as 3,956 occurred due to overspeeding alone.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari informed that Jammu and Kashmir recorded 28,510 road accidents in the five-year period, resulting in 4,031 deaths.
The Minister said overspeeding remained the dominant cause of crashes throughout the period. The UT reported 4,821 overspeeding-related accidents in 2020, 5,351 in 2021, 5,990 in 2022, 5,666 in 2023, and 5,367 in 2024. Corresponding fatalities were 727 in 2020, 772 in 2021, 797 in 2022, 854 in 2023, and 806 in 2024. Cumulatively, 27,195 of the total 28,510 accidents were attributed to overspeeding, resulting in 3,956 deaths.
Overloading and “vehicle hanging” also contributed to a significant number of mishaps. Such cases rose from 207 in 2020 to 240 in 2021, 281 in 2022, 245 in 2023, and a sharp increase to 361 in 2024. Fatalities in these incidents climbed from 37 in 2020 to 47 in 2021, 45 in 2022, 58 in 2023, and surged dramatically to 195 in 2024. Over five years, 1,334 such accidents claimed 382 lives.
Overall accident figures grew from 4,860 in 2020 to 5,452 in 2021 and further to 6,092 in 2022. The highest number was recorded in 2023 with 6,298 crashes, before a slight decline to 5,808 in 2024. Fatalities followed a similar trajectory, rising from 728 in 2020 to 774 in 2021, 805 in 2022, peaking at 893 in 2023, and reducing to 831 in 2024.
The data also indicates persistent neglect of basic safety protocols. Deaths due to non-use of helmets were 63 each in 2020 and 2021, increased to 81 in 2022 and 84 in 2023, before falling to 72 in 2024—totalling 290 fatalities. Non-compliance with seat-belt norms caused 96 deaths in both 2020 and 2021, rising to 113 in 2022 and 117 in 2023, and dipping to 92 in 2024. Over five years, 804 people died due to not wearing seat belts.
Additionally, 460 accidents between 2020 and 2024 involved drivers without valid licences—91 in 2020, 110 in 2021, 126 in 2022, 114 in 2023, and 101 in 2024.
To curb the growing trend, the Government said it has been enforcing stricter provisions under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. Measures include enhanced penalties for traffic violations, computerised driving licence and vehicle fitness testing, and tighter monitoring of juvenile driving.
The Ministry also stated that road safety audits covering over one lakh kilometres of National and State Highways have been completed between 2019–20 and 2024–25. It added that the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) system—integrating multiple national databases—is being increasingly used to identify accident-prone blackspots, improve enforcement, and support targeted road safety interventions. |
