Kanjhawala Incident Points Out Delhi's History With Road Rage, 2300 Crashes In 2022

The recent Kanjhawala accident case, where a 20-year-old woman got hit by a car and was dragged for more than 10km by it in Delhi, has brought our attention to the capital’s history with such fatal incidents.

While this was an isolated incident where the accused did not wait to help the victim despite knowing that she was stuck under their car, many statistics point to the fact that rash driving, irrespective of the season, has made New Delhi top the list of cities in India with the highest number of road traffic accidents deaths.

With this article, we are diving into the history and laws related to road accidents in the capital.

Highest Number Of Road Accident Deaths

Image Courtesy: Delhi Government Transport

A report published on the state government website pointed out that the capital had the highest number of road accident deaths in 2021. The data was sourced from the Government of National Capital Territory (GNCTD) and Delhi Police’s First Information Reports (FIRs).

In 2021 alone, the capital reported 1,199 cases of fatal crashes and 1,238 cases of deaths due to those accidents. In all those cases, the highest rate of deaths was among pedestrians (42%). It means that people walking on the roads have been hit the most in road accidents.

Image Courtesy: Delhi Government Transport

This was followed by motorcyclists (36%), pillion riders (7%) and cyclists (4%) among others. The data also showed that death risks were higher for men between 50 and 54 years. However, the data showed that road accident deaths among women were highest over the age of 45.

In June 2022, the Delhi police shared statistics that pointed out that the capital witnessed 2,300 road accidents in the first five months. About 500 people lost their lives and 495 were in fatal accidents.

Irrespective Of Seasons, Rash Driving Is Primary Cause

Image Courtesy: Delhi Government Transport

The 2021 data showed that deaths were higher in March, but the margin was not significantly high than in other months. Throughout the year, there were about 70 or more fatal crashes and deaths in each month in Delhi.

In most such cases, rash driving and negligence of traffic signals were the primary causes. When you are speeding, you are most likely to violate traffic laws, thus, increasing the chances of fatal accidents. In many cases, even though the victims have survived, they have been reported to be suffering from a disability, grievous injury and trauma, not to mention damage to their vehicles and loads of money spent in hospitals.

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Vehicles At Fault

Image Courtesy: Delhi Government Transport

The data indicated that light motor vehicles, cars, and their drivers caused 30% of those accidents. It was followed by good carriers (24%), motorcyclists (21%), tempo and tractors (12%), buses (8%) and others.

Interestingly, only 1% of women drivers were at fault, while males were mostly responsible for road accidents.

High Risks Roads & Flyover More Prone To Accidents

Image Courtesy: Delhi Government Transport

The data suggested a list of places in New Delhi that are more prone to accidents, irrespective of rain and fog. The list included Ring Road Bypass, Rohtak Road, Najafgarh Road, Ghazipur Border, Netaji Subhash Marg and Mathura Road among others.

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Indian Motor Vehicle Laws

Considering the recent accidents in New Delhi, we spoke to Swaralipi Deb Roy, Corporate Lawyer & Practising at Delhi High Court & Supreme Court of India, about road safety rules. She shared that IPC Sections 279, 340A and 338 talk about rash driving and punishments under hit-and-run cases.

In fact, IPC Section 304A punishes death by accident too. What many people do not know is that IPCSsection 134 (a) of the Motor Vehicles Act requires the driver, responsible for the accident, to help the victim with medical attention immediately and share the scenario with the police too. In case the culprit fails to perform any of the two duties, they will be punished under the law.

While we have laws and acts in place, New Delhi continues to set new records in fatal crashes and horrific incidents keep making headlines. It is undebatable that the capital is setting the wrong examples for the rest of the country.