Evening rush hours most risky for Ludhiana commuters

The time slot of 6pm to 9pm accounted for 25% of all fatalities in road accidents in 2019; October witnessed most mishaps

Most fatal accidents in Ludhiana took place from 6pm to 9pm and 9pm to 12am, even as October saw the highest number of mishaps in 2019.

The highest road mishaps at 305 occurred on internal roads that saw 178 fatalities and left 175 people with injuries. (HT File Photo)

According to the figures released by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), city’s internal roads were more dangerous than national and state highways, as 58% of the total 526 road crashes in 2019 occurred on internal roads.

The report reveals there were 365 fatalities in 526 accidents last year – a 59% jump from the 230 deaths recorded in 2018.

The time slot of 6pm to 9pm accounted for 131 (25%) of the 526 road mishaps, while 9pm to 12am constituted 87 accidents (17%).

It was only after the majority of the city called it a night between 3am and 6am that the lowest number of crashes were seen – 22 (4%).

Across Punjab, as many as 1,343 road mishaps were reported in 2019 – 7,209 among these were between 6pm and 9pm.

Police officials say these are office transit hours, when maximum number of vehicles is on the roads, and hence the highest number of accidents.

INTERNAL ROADS RISKY AS WELL

A total of 158 accidents occurred on national highways in Ludhiana, in which 127 people were killed, while 94 suffered injuries. Besides, 63 mishaps occurred on state highways, where 60 people lost their lives and 22 people were injured. The highest road mishaps at 305 occurred on internal roads that saw 178 fatalities and left 175 people with injuries.

Assistant commissioner of police (ACP, traffic) Gurdev Singh said police were working on identifying the problem areas to deter road mishaps.

“Police are conducting a detailed study on accident-prone areas and have also identified 10 black spots that lead to collisions,” he added.