Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 20: Preliminary investigations into the Ramnagar bus tragedy have indicated that rash and negligent driving was the primary cause of the horrific accident.
Quoting eyewitnesses, initial reports suggest that the driver of the ill-fated bus was driving at a high speed and in a reckless manner. He reportedly lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a sharp curve, causing the bus to overturn and plunge down the slope.
The latest incident has once again brought into focus the alarming trend of rash driving and overspeeding, which continue to be the leading causes of fatal road accidents in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to official data shared by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari, the Union Territory recorded 28,510 road accidents between 2020 and 2024, resulting in 4,031 deaths.
Overspeeding alone accounted for the overwhelming majority of these fatalities. Of the total 4,031 deaths reported during the five-year period, as many as 3,956 were attributed to overspeeding. Similarly, out of 28,510 accidents, 27,195 were linked to excessive speed.
Year-wise figures reveal a consistently high number of overspeeding-related accidents: 4,821 cases in 2020, 5,351 in 2021, 5,990 in 2022, 5,666 in 2023, and 5,367 in 2024. Fatalities in these incidents stood at 727 in 2020, 772 in 2021, 797 in 2022, 854 in 2023, and 806 in 2024.
Apart from overspeeding, overloading and the practice of “vehicle hanging” have also contributed significantly to road accidents in the region. The number of such cases increased from 207 in 2020 to 240 in 2021, 281 in 2022, 245 in 2023, and rose sharply to 361 in 2024. Fatalities in these incidents also witnessed a steep rise, from 37 in 2020 to 47 in 2021, 45 in 2022, 58 in 2023, and a dramatic spike to 195 in 2024. In total, 1,334 such accidents claimed 382 lives over the five-year period.
Overall accident figures in Jammu and Kashmir have shown a rising trend over the years. The number of road accidents increased from 4,860 in 2020 to 5,452 in 2021 and further to 6,092 in 2022. The highest number of accidents was recorded in 2023 at 6,298 cases, before witnessing a slight decline to 5,808 in 2024. Fatalities followed a similar pattern, rising from 728 in 2020 to 774 in 2021, 805 in 2022, peaking at 893 in 2023, and then declining to 831 in 2024.
The Ramnagar tragedy has once again underscored the urgent need for stricter enforcement of traffic regulations and sustained measures to curb overspeeding and reckless driving, particularly on the hilly and accident-prone roads of the Union Territory. |
