Ludhiana roads saw 23.2% more accidents last year

LUDHIANA: The city witnessed more than 23% rise in road accidents in 2021 as compared with the preceding year, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report. Besides, the industrial hub recorded the highest road crash fatalities after five years.
The report shows that the city registered 478 road accidents in 2021. As compared with 2020, when the number of accidents was 388, the figure is 23.2% more. In 2020, when lockdown was imposed due to Covid, road accidents in Ludhiana had fallen by 26.2% as compared with the year before.
The data of road accidents in the city shows that the figure was more than that of 2021 four times since 2015, with the highest (549) in 2016.
As many as 380 deaths in 478 road accidents in Ludhiana last year were the highest after 2016, when 384 fatalities were reported.
Among the cities of the region, Ludhiana is at the top with maximum road accidents. Chandigarh witnessed 208 road accidents in 2021, followed by Amritsar at 98. Ludhiana also had the highest number of road accident deaths in the region, followed by Chandigarh (96).
With the road accident number registering an increase, road safety experts say the rise is steep.
"In 2020, the number of road accidents had fallen because of lockdown due to Covid. But after that in 2021, the real picture of road accidents in Ludhiana came to the fore. There are many reasons for the rise, the prominent being mismanagement and chaos on the city roads," says road safety expert Kamaljit Soi.
"The serious offences like speeding and drunken driving are least challaned. Roads are not in proper shape and not worthy to drive. Road cuts are closed without logic or reasoning leading to accidents and deaths. There is no infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists. Road safety infrastructure is missing. All these factors contribute to rise in accidents," he adds.
Residents say necessary steps should be taken to check accidents. "The authorities should address the issue as hundreds of people have lost their lives in accidents on city roads. The agencies concerned should work together to check these," says Amandeep Singh, a city resident.