In Punjab, road accidents caused more deaths in 2021, 2022: NCRB data

Road accidents in Punjab in 2021 and 2022 caused more deaths than injuries, according to the latest NCRB report.

However, in neighbouring Haryana, while the number of fatalities were higher than in Punjab, road accidents caused more injuries than deaths, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data showed.

Road accidents have generally caused more injuries than deaths. However, in a few states such as Punjab, these have led to a higher number of fatalities than injuries, the data shows.

In Punjab in 2022, 6,122 road accidents caused 4,688 deaths and 3,372 injuries. The previous year, 6,097 road accidents caused 4,516 deaths and 3,034 injuries.

In Haryana, 10,049 road accidents were reported in 2021. The figure rose marginally to 10,654 in 2022.

In 2021, 4,983 people died in Haryana while the figure for 2022 was at 5,228. The accidents caused injuries to 7,972 and 8,353 people, respectively, in the two years.

According to the report, accidents are indicators of bottlenecks and other hindrances to the smooth flow of traffic. As a result, the NCRB collects detailed data on traffic accidents, including road accidents, for inferring the trend and patterns of traffic accidents for planners to devise appropriate preventive strategies.

According to the NCRB data, 660 people died and 1,398 were injured in road accidents involving light motor vehicles such as SUVs and cars in 2022 in Haryana. The corresponding figures for the same year in Punjab were 1,101 deaths and 861 injuries.

Additionally, in both the states, injuries and fatalities caused to two-wheeler riders were quite high.

In 2022, 2,182 two-wheeler riders were killed and 3,420 injured in Haryana while 2,099 died and 1,663 were injured in Punjab.

As many as 215 cyclists died in road accidents and 112 were injured in Punjab in 2022 against 114 deaths and 120 injuries in Haryana.

In 2022, 1,164 pedestrians died in Haryana and 1,663 were injured against 609 deaths and 241 injuries in Punjab.

The Punjab government is raising a specialised force to streamline traffic movement and check road accidents.

To be raised as a part of the Punjab Police, the Sadak Surakhya Force (Road Safety Force) personnel will be deployed at national and state highways where the majority of road accidents occur every year, officials said.

Haryana is also embarking on a series of transformative projects aimed at saving lives on its roads, Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal recently said.

A fleet of 670 ambulances has been integrated with the '112' emergency helpline to provide timely medical assistance to road accident victims.

Recently, The Centre of Excellence for Road Safety -- a central government organisation -- in collaboration with IIT-Madras, planned to launch a special project in Haryana to bring together the best practices in road safety, develop systems and provide data-driven advice to all stakeholders and the public.