As per the socio-economic cost analysis, Punjab lost Rs 4,757 crore due to road accident deaths last year.
A recent report on road safety analysis revealed that on an average, 13 persons were killed daily and a total of 4,725 persons died in road mishaps in 2018.Punjab traffic adviser Navdeep K Asija said: “If a family loses their breadwinner in an accident, various factors add to the loss such as mental trauma, social stigma cost, time loss cost, vehicle damage cost and hospitalisation. So, it’s an extensive study that calculates the socio-economic cost.”
According to the report prepared under Punjab Vision Zero and Tandrust Punjab Mission, there is 6 per cent increase in road accident fatalities and 5 per cent increase in fatal road accidents in urban areas as compared to 2017.According to the report, 2,540 persons were killed due to overspeeding and 85 due to drunken driving last year.
Surpassing the national average of 111, Punjab recorded 155 fatalities per million population (health burden due to traffic).
Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib and SAS Nagar are the top three districts, respectively, where the rate of fatal road accidents is almost double the state’s average.
With 75 per cent of people involved in fatal road accidents aging between 18 and 45 years, the report reveals that accidents are one of the leading causes of youths’ death. The maximum number of deaths was reported between 6 pm and 9 pm.
On an average, only eight traffic police personnel are deployed against per lakh population in the state.
Traffic ADGP Sharad S Chauhan said: “Steps are being taken to improve the situation. Road safety associates in 10 districts will analyse every accident and identify black spots, which will be rectified with the help of local corporations.”