Pedestrians continue to be the most vulnerable in road crashes in Delhi, accounting for 43 per cent of the victims, followed by two-wheelers, according to Delhi Road Crash Fatalities Report 2023. The number of deaths in road crashes decreased by 0.55 per cent from 1,264 in 2022 to 1,257 in 2023 in spite of an increase in the number of vehicles registered on the road.
There has also been an increase in the number of prosecutions from 4,38,052 in 2022 to 6,39,097 in 2023, along with other corrective measures taken by the traffic unit, police said.
The report released on Wednesday by Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora contains an analysis of the accidents that occurred last year along with the causes, patterns and suggestions in road design, regulation and prosecution.
The report will help the police outline a road safety action plan that will involve the joint efforts of multiple departments to improve education, engineering, enforcement, and emergency care.
The focus is on designing a forgiving infrastructure to reduce the chances of crashes and then reducing the fatalities in the cases where they do occur, a senior police officer said.
“The efforts of the Delhi Traffic Police have led to a reduction in road crash deaths in Delhi by 20 per cent over the last decade. Continuing our endeavour to save lives, we have now increased focus on more pedestrian-centric traffic management,” Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Ajay Chaudhary, said.
“The report has identified pedestrians as the most vulnerable road users followed by two-wheeler riders constituting 43 per cent and 38 per cent of the total fatalities in road crashes, respectively, in 2023,” Mr Chaudhary said.
Road crashes not only affect the livelihoods of the persons involved but also leave a longer imprint on the victims’ families. It often pushes people to the brink of poverty and costs the economy heavily, he added.
The focus areas of Delhi Traffic Police have been to enhance the use of technology in smooth traffic management and surveillance and to improve road infrastructure, particularly in design and standards, for the vulnerable categories of road users.
As pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are the most vulnerable road users, the focus will continue to be on road safety measures, including prosecutions and awareness campaigns on the use of helmets, zebra crossings, subways, encroachment-free safe pedestrian walkways/footpaths etc.
Delhi Traffic Police has also recommended design interventions at crash-prone locations to reduce fatalities, Mr Chaudhary said.
In 2023, Delhi Traffic Police identified 10 such black spots — ISBT Kashmere Gate, Mukarba Chowk, Libaspur bus stand, Kashmere Gate Chowk, Burari Chowk, Britannia Chowk, Bhalswa Chowk, Wazirpur Depot, Mori Gate round about and Gandhi Vihar bus stand.
Apart from these, 10 other roads in Delhi recorded 10 or more deaths in 2023, including NH-8, Road No. 56, Kanjhawala Road, NH-24, Road No. 201, Patel Road, Pankha Road, Vikas Marg and Narela Road, Mr Chaudhary said.
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