Most fatal crashes between 9pm and 3am in Gurugram: Report

The report shows that of the 551 fatal accidents and 615 fatalities recorded over the two years, around 179 fatal crashes and 205 deaths occurred during the critical six-hour window between 9pm and 3am.

A recent report finalised under the Union ministry of road transport and highways’ (MoRTH) “zero fatalities district” initiative has found that the majority of grievous road accidents in Gurugram occurred during “high-risk windows” between 9pm and 3am.

The report identified these critical time intervals as ‘high-risk windows’ that required targeted safety measures to reduce overall risk for commuters.

Under the initiative launched in January, government agencies, including the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and the Public Works Department (PWD), analysed road accident data from 2023 to 2024 .

The report, accessed by HT, shows that of the 551 fatal accidents and 615 fatalities recorded over the two years, around 179 fatal crashes and 205 deaths occurred during the critical six-hour window between 9pm and 3am.

Of the total accidents and fatalities over the two years, the three-hourly temporal distribution showed that nearly 49% took place between 9pm and 12am, followed by 12am to 3am, with another peak observed between 9am and 12pm.

The distribution further revealed that the maximum number of fatal crashes — 104 (resulting in 115 deaths) — occurred between 9pm and 12am. This was followed by 81 fatal crashes (96 deaths) between 9am and 12pm, and 75 fatal crashes (90 deaths) between 12am and 3am.

According to the data, the number of critical crashes and deaths begins rising from 6pm every evening before spiking in the 9pm–12am slot, which recorded the highest fatalities.

Among the remaining time intervals, 59 fatal crashes (62 deaths) occurred between 3am and 6am; 58 crashes (62 deaths) between 6am and 9am; 46 crashes (52 deaths) between 12pm and 3pm; 55 crashes (62 deaths) between 3pm and 6pm; and 72 crashes (77 deaths) between 6pm and 9pm.

Of the 42 police stations in the district, around seven each recorded the highest number of fatal crashes between 9pm and 12am and between 9am and 12pm, while three recorded the most cases between 12am and 3am, the data showed. The report categorised these as “critical time intervals,” during which a large number of traffic violations led to grievous accidents resulting in deaths within concentrated areas under individual police station jurisdictions.

The report further identified these critical time intervals as “high-risk windows” that required targeted safety measures to reduce overall risk for commuters and pedestrians on major city roads. “The findings underscore the need for improved lighting, fatigue management strategies, and enhanced enforcement during these hours,

As part of the ongoing district safety drive, NHAI, GMDA and PWD, along with traffic police, have begun introducing short-term and long-term interventions on Jharsa Chowk, Atlas foot-over-bridge (FOB), Basgaon Chowk and Delhi-Ajmer Highway in Manesar to reduce accidents.

An action taken report finalising the short-term safety measures, such as revamping road markings and setting up street lights on the identified roads, is expected to be submitted to the district’s road safety committee on March 5, 2025.