Srinagar, Jul 23 (KNO): Road accident fatalities in Jammu and Kashmir increased in 2025 despite a decline in the total number of accidents, the Government of India (GoI) informed Parliament on Thursday.
Replying to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that 5,317 road accidents claiming 983 lives were reported in Jammu and Kashmir during 2025. In comparison, the UT recorded 5,808 accidents and 831 fatalities in 2024, 6,298 accidents and 893 deaths in 2023, and 6,092 accidents with 805 fatalities in 2022.
The minister said road accidents are a multi-causal phenomenon, with the major causes broadly classified as human error, road condition/environment and vehicular condition.
He said the government has adopted a 4E strategy—Education, Engineering, Enforcement and Emergency Care—to improve road safety and reduce fatalities across the country.
According to the ministry, key measures include mandatory road safety audits on National Highways, identification and rectification of black spots, establishment of driving training institutes, implementation of the electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) system, stricter vehicle safety standards, electronic traffic enforcement, constitution of the National Road Safety Board, and technology-driven e-challan mechanisms.
The Centre further said emergency response has been strengthened through the Rah-Veer Scheme, under which the reward for Good Samaritans has been increased from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000, enhanced compensation for hit-and-run victims, deployment of ambulances at National Highway toll plazas, and implementation of the PM-Rahat Scheme for cashless treatment of road accident victims—(KNO)