Road crash deaths dropped marginally in 2023: Report

The Delhi traffic police prosecuted over six lakh vehicles in 2023, marking an increase compared to the figures from the previous year (4,38,052 in 2022), while the number of deaths due to road crashes decreased only marginally in 2023, said a report released by the Delhi traffic unit on Wednesday.

“The number of deaths in road crashes decreased from 1,264 in 2022 to 1,257 in 2023 in spite of an increase in the number of registered vehicles. This is due to a rise in the number of prosecutions which went from 4,38,052 in 2022 to 6,39,097 in 2023,” the report said.

The report also identified pedestrians as the most vulnerable road users and two-wheelers the next most vulnerable categories, constituting 43 per cent and 38 per cent of the total fatalities in road crashes, respectively, in 2023.

Sanjay Arora, Commissioner of Police, Delhi, released the Delhi Road Crash Report, 2023, the annual report bears the analysis of the accidents that occurred during 2023 along with the causes, pattern and suggestions in road design, regulation and prosecution.

“The analysis of crashes empowers the traffic unit and other stakeholders to be more proactive in saving lives on the road through evidence-based and targeted interventions and programmes,” Ajay Chaudhry, Special Commissioner of Police, Traffic Management Division, Zone-II, said.

“This report will help us in outlining Road Safety Action Plan which shall involve the joint effort of multiple departments to improve education, engineering, enforcement, and emergency care. The focus is on designing forgiving infrastructure to reduce the chance of crashes occurring in the first place and then reducing the fatalities in the cases where they do occur,” he added.

He further said the efforts of Delhi traffic police had led to a total reduction in the death caused by road crashed by 20 per cent over the last decade.

“In 2023, the traffic police identified ten black spots — ISBT Kashmere Gate, Mukarba Chowk, Libaspur bus stand, Kashmere Gate Chowk, Burari Chowk, Britannia Chowk, Bhalswa Chowk, Wazirpur Depot, R/A Mori Gate and Gandhi Vihar bus stand. Apart from these, ten other roads in Delhi recorded ten or more deaths in 2023. These roads include: NH-8, Road No. 56, Kanjhawala Road, NH-24, 201 No. Road, Patel Road, Pankha Road, Vikas Marg and Narela Road.” the report added.