In a grim report from Jammu, 88 individuals lost their lives and over 1,000 sustained injuries due to 699 road accidents in Kathua, Samba, Rajouri, and Poonch during the first seven months of 2023. The Traffic Police Rural Jammu launched a focused campaign against two-wheeler violations, accounting for 44 percent of these incidents, which resulted in the issuance of 8,675 fines.
The heightened enforcement campaign, conducted from September 1 to 14, emerged after a detailed analysis of accident data which revealed alarming trends regarding two-wheeler involvement in road collisions, according to a traffic police spokesperson.
Traffic Police Rural Jammu’s analysis, covering the period from January 1 to July 31, indicated that two-wheeler riders were involved in 309 accidents, leading to 39 fatalities and injuring 384 individuals. In these statistics, 144 of these were single-vehicle accidents.
National Highways also reported concerning numbers, with 102 accidents (41 percent) involving two-wheelers. Other roads experienced 210 accidents (47 percent) linked to two-wheelers. Alarmingly, 27 percent of the victims were below the age of 26.
Over this period, 445 accidents (64 percent) occurred with only single vehicles. As incidents continue to rise, Traffic Police Rural Jammu responded with rigorous awareness and enforcement campaigns targeting riders across all four districts.
The campaign not only involved strict penalties, with traffic authorities issuing a total of 8,675 violators during the period, but also included educational initiatives. The breakdown of violations shows that 5,767 riders were penalized for riding without helmets, while 1,152 pillion riders faced fines for the same reason. Additionally, 1106 cases were recorded for triple riding.
Furthermore, Traffic Police scrutinized other behaviours on the roads. This included 188 riders for using mobile devices while driving, 260 for dangerous driving, and 146 for lacking valid driving licenses. Notably, three minors operating two-wheelers illegally had their vehicles seized, as did 50 riders for illegal modifications.
During the enforcement drive, a total of 187 vehicles were confiscated due to various traffic violations. The initiative also extended beyond enforcement. Traffic Police conducted 267 awareness programmes across educational institutions, bus stands, and public spaces, targeting youth and the community to promote road safety.
Innovative outreach included on-road safety counselling sessions in Rajouri and Poonch. Officers set up dedicated canopies where road users, particularly two-wheeler riders, could receive guidance on helmet usage and safe driving practices under the “no-challan, only counseling” concept. This approach intentionally focused on dialogue, allowing law enforcement to sensitise riders without issuing fines during this education phase.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Traffic Rural Jammu, Farooq Qaiser, expressed the need for ongoing vigilance, announcing plans for similar outreach focused on other vehicles, including Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) in the near future. He strongly urged all motorists to comply with traffic laws and warned that stringent actions against violators would persist in the interest of public safety.
