Three Die Daily: How Road Crashes Plague Kashmir

Mehraab Nazir

Srinagar- Every day in Jammu and Kashmir, three people do not return home. Between 2018 and 2022, official records show 4,278 people died in road crashes across the region. That averages to more than 800 deaths annually, more than twice the rate of many Indian states.

The Transport Research and Injury Prevention (TRIP) Centre at IIT Delhi ranks Jammu and Kashmir second in India for road fatalities per 10,000 registered vehicles.

In 2019, the deadliest year in the recent period, 996 people lost their lives. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a temporary drop to 728 deaths in 2020, but by 2022 the number climbed back to 805.

India as a whole lost more than 170,000 people to road crashes in 2023, translating to 474 deaths every day. Kashmir's share of this tragedy is disproportionate, given its small population of 14 million and fewer registered vehicles.

Young adults aged 5 to 29 account for a majority of the victims, according to data from the TRIP Centre.“This age group represents the region's workforce. Every death in this segment is an economic loss for families and society,” said Dr. Rakesh Sharma, a public health expert who has studied road safety in northern India.

Pedestrians and motorized two-wheeler riders form the largest share of deaths. Poor road infrastructure ranks as a leading cause. In districts such as Ramban and Doda, roads narrow to less than two lanes, wind sharply through mountainous terrain, and often lack guardrails. Seasonal landslides and poor visibility further compound risks.

“Many of these roads were never designed for today's traffic. Their condition makes them accident traps, especially during monsoons,” explained Anil Khajuria, a former engineer in J&K's Public Works Department.

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