With over 3 deaths per km every year, NH-44 most fatal: Report

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, May 19

The National Highway-44 has turned out to be the most fatal highway for commuters, with a maximum of over 3 fatalities in road mishaps every year within the limits of the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate, a latest study has revealed.

Death rate over 2% in 68-km stretches: ADGP

AS Rai, ADGP (Traffic), said: “The 68-km road stretches of national highways that pass through Ludhiana Police Commissionerate limits are the most accident-prone areas, with a death rate of 2.16 per km in the past three years. As many as 55 accident black spots fall on this stretch, making it the most critical road section in Ludhiana.”

The study was conducted by the Punjab Road Safety and Traffic Research Centre (PRSTRC), in association with the SAFE (Safety Alliance for Everyone) Society and Centre of Excellence on Road Safety and Traffic Management set-up in Ludhiana.

The study, titled ‘Road safety assessment of Ludhiana city’, which was published in association with the district’s civil and police administration, besides the office of the Traffic Advisor of Punjab, was released by the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), AS Rai, in the presence of Punjab Traffic Advisor and Director, PRSTRC, Dr Navdeep K Asija, here recently.

According to the report, a copy of which is available with The Tribune, NH-44, which is a major north–south National Highway and the longest in the country, connecting Ludhiana with Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Rajpura and Delhi, had claimed 315 lives in 401 fatal road mishaps during the past three years, which accounted for 3.37 fatalities per km per year.

The 31.121-km stretch of the NH-44, which passes through the district, had 39 black spots that were identified from 2019 to 2021. Besides claiming 315 lives, the fatal road accidents had also left 157 persons seriously injured and 58 with minor injuries during the past three years.

The temporal analysis of the mishaps reported on the NH-44 showed that a maximum of 23 per cent accidents had occurred between 6 pm and 9 pm, followed by 14 per cent each between 9 pm and 12 midnight and 6 am and 9 am, 13 per cent between 3 pm and 6 pm, 11 per cent between 12 noon and 3 pm, 8 per cent between 9 am and 12 noon, 6 per cent between 3 am and 6 am and the minimum of 5 per cent fatalities had been reported between 12 midnight and 3 am.

NH-5, which connects Ludhiana with Ferozepur, Moga, Kharar, Chandigarh, Kalka and Shimla, had claimed 127 lives, left 87 seriously injured and 36 with minor injuries in 197 road mishaps during the past three years, which had accounted for 1.15 fatalities per km per year.

As many as 16 black spots had been identified on this 36.82-km stretch of the NH-5 within the limits of Ludhiana Police Commissionerate.

A maximum of 17 per cent fatal road crashes had occurred between 6 am and 12 noon on this road, followed by 14 per cent between 3 pm and 6 pm, 13 per cent between 6 am and 9 am, 10 per cent between 12 noon and 3 pm, 6 per cent each between 9 and 12 noon and 3 am and 6 am, and the minimum of 3 per cent fatalities had been reported between 12 midnight and 3 am.

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