Kashmir's Deadly Roads

Every day in Jammu and Kashmir, three people leave home never to return, their lives cut short not by militancy or conflict, but by something far more routine – road accidents. More than 4,200 people have lost their lives in crashes across the region in just five years, from 2018 to 2022,. That is an average of over 800 deaths a year, making it one of the highest fatality rates in the country relative to the number of vehicles.

And yet, this crisis barely registers in our collective conscience. It is, as if road deaths in Kashmir have been normalized, even trivialized. Ironically, at times, officials have spoken of them as a sign of“normalcy,” pointing out that more people now die on the roads than in militancy related violence. Such framing does not just miss the point, it dangerously downplays the scale of a public health emergency that is tearing families apart every single day.

The causes of this grim toll are well known. Much of the region's road network is woefully inadequate for today's traffic. Take the roads in districts like Ramban and Doda which are narrow, poorly maintained, and often lack guardrails, making them lethal during landslides or heavy rain. As for Srinagar and Jammu, they face their own challenges: both the cities have chaotic intersections, poor traffic planning, and virtually no discipline among road users. What is more, with a shortage of trained personnel, enforcement is lax, and, as a result,little visible deterrence against speeding or reckless driving.

Even when accidents are survivable, many victims are lost to delays in medical care. Outside of Srinagar, there is almost no trauma response system. Ambulances are few, hospitals are far apart, and poor mobile connectivity hampers the swift coordination that can save lives. As doctors at the Valley's main trauma hospital admit, too many patients die not on the spot but on the way.

What is needed is decisive action. Experts have long recommended practical steps: speed cameras on highways, better road engineering, pedestrian bridges, and stricter penalties for violators.

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