Chandigarh: Road safety infra in place but no brakes on fatal accidents

81 people have been killed in road mishaps in Chandigarh between January and December 11 this year, a 15% spike from 70 deaths in 2024 in the same period

Despite sustained investments in road safety infrastructure, there has been no let-up in fatal accidents on Chandigarh’s roads, with pedestrians and two-wheeler riders paying the highest price.

Overall, there were 181 road crashes in 2025, meaning over two in five accidents (around 43%) resulted in loss of life. (HT File)

Crores have been spent on pedestrian and traffic light countdown timers, pelican crossings, CCTV-enforced zebra crossings, clearly demarcated pedestrian paths and an extensive network of cycling tracks. Yet, instead of falling, accident deaths continue to rise.

Fatal road accidents in the city have shown an upward trend in 2025, with 78 crashes claiming 81 lives till December 11 — a 15% jump from 70 deaths in 67 accidents during the same period in 2024.

HT graphics.

Overall, there were 181 road crashes in 2025, meaning over two in five accidents (around 43%) resulted in loss of life. This high fatality ratio points to the severity of accidents in the city, suggesting that crashes often involve high speeds and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and two-wheeler riders, leaving little scope for survival.

The South-East zone emerged as the worst affected, reporting 24 deaths, followed by the South-West zone (23), East zone (18) and Central zone (16). Overall, 68 men and 13 women have been killed in collisions since January.

In addition to fatal accidents, the city reported 103 non-fatal road crashes involving 149 injured persons, while nine fatal accidents were recorded without FIR registration.

Two-wheelers at highest risk

With 37 out of 81 deaths, two-wheeler riders account for the largest share of fatalities, closely followed by pedestrians (32).

This points to their high exposure to traffic with minimal physical protection, speeding and risky manoeuvres, especially on wide city roads and possible low helmet compliance or improper helmet use.

Harpreet Singh, a Mohali-based Road Traffic Safety Management Systems Lead Auditor, said, “The disproportionately high number of two-wheeler fatalities may also reflect a shift in road usage patterns, with an increasing number of gig and delivery workers relying on motorcycles and scooters for livelihood. While Chandigarh residents traditionally prefer four-wheelers for daily commuting, especially for office travel, two-wheelers are now being extensively used by food delivery agents, couriers and platform-based workers who spend prolonged hours on the road under time pressure.”

He added that a deeper profiling of two-wheeler victims was needed to assess whether they were commuters or gig workers, and whether factors such as long working hours, deadline-driven riding and limited social security were contributing to higher fatality risk.

As many as nine cyclists also lost their lives in road accidents, while one death each involved occupants of autos, cars/LMVs and e-rickshaws, while no fatalities were reported involving buses or trucks.

The gender-wise data shows that men, owing to higher road exposure and risk-taking behaviour, remain disproportionately vulnerable to fatal road accidents, while women account for fewer deaths due to comparatively lower exposure, said a traffic police official.

Daytime hours proved particularly deadly. The 12 pm to 3 pm slot recorded the highest number of fatal crashes (15), followed by 3 pm to 6 pm (12), suggesting heavy traffic volume due to office movement, school dispersal and commercial activity. People also tend to increase speed on wide arterial roads during post-lunch hours.

Night hours also saw significant fatalities, especially between 9 pm and 12 am (12 cases), possibly due to speeding on relatively empty roads and drunk driving.

“We need the Safe System approach; the thumb rule is simple — people will make mistakes. Roads must be designed in a way that these mistakes do not cost lives. A forgiving road environment, with lower speeds, safer crossings and protective infrastructure, is critical to reducing fatalities,” said Hapreet Singh.

“We are conducting a detailed, case-by-case analysis of every road accident to ascertain the root causes. Our preliminary findings indicate that a majority of pedestrian fatalities have occurred due to rash and negligent driving by offending vehicles. Speeding, failure to slow down at crossings and lack of caution while approaching intersections have emerged as key contributing factors. Based on these findings, enforcement and preventive measures are being strengthened in vulnerable zones,” said Sumer Pratap Singh, SSP, Traffic, Chandigarh.