Punjab's Deadly Roads: 4,800 Killed in 2025 as Motorcyclist Deaths Soar

The annual statistics from the emergency service indicate that 482,870 road traffic incidents were reported in Punjab during 2025, leading to nearly 570,000 injuries. This is compared to 467,561 incidents documented in 2024, which resulted in 4,139 fatalities, while 420,387 incidents in 2023 accounted for 3,967 deaths. The data exposes a troubling trend: although road traffic incidents increased by 5.8 per cent in 2025, a significant decrease from the 11.9 per cent rise noted in 2024, the rise in fatalities was disproportionate, suggesting that crashes have become more severe, according to The Express Tribune.

Emergency Services Secretary Dr Rizwan Naseer voiced his concern over the statistics during an annual operational review on road traffic incidents.

"In Pakistan, a road traffic collision happens nearly every minute, and sadly, the primary victims are frequently the family's breadwinners," he stated, labelling the situation in Punjab as "extremely alarming".

Dr Naseer pointed out that over 75 per cent of fatal collisions involved motorcycles, highlighting the heightened risk faced by two-wheeler riders. He emphasised that limiting motorcycle speeds to 50 kilometres per hour could greatly reduce injuries and fatalities.

"For every one kilometre per hour increase, the chances of a fatal incident rise by four to five per cent," he cautioned, as reported by The Express Tribune.

The meeting included the heads of multiple segments of the emergency services department, the provincial monitoring officer, and district emergency officers (DEOs) who participated via video link. Officials examined significant emergencies, district performances, operational hurdles, case studies, and lessons learnt over the past year.

A briefing from the head of operations indicated that Lahore experienced the highest number of road traffic incidents in 2025, totalling 88,743 cases, followed by Faisalabad (32,309) and Multan (29,804).

Conversely, Murree saw the fewest accidents at 1,889, while Attock had 3,748 and Jhelum reported 4,301 incidents. Nevertheless, the data revealed an uptick in RTCs in 34 additional districts throughout Punjab.

An analysis of vehicle participation demonstrated that motorcycles constituted 75 per cent of all incidents. Cars represented 8.6 per cent, rickshaws 4.7 per cent, and buses, trucks, and vans 4.3 per cent, while 7.4 per cent involved other vehicle types. Pedestrians were impacted in 10.34 per cent of road accidents, indicating the dangers faced by individuals walking in or near busy roads, as noted by The Express Tribune.

Regarding injuries, the Rescue 1122 data indicated that most victims experienced fractures and head injuries. These injuries included 39,250 instances of single fractures, 19,603 head injuries, 8,362 multiple fractures, and 1,125 spinal injuries.

Of the 569,901 individuals injured in road incidents, 80.6 per cent were men and 19.4 per cent were women.

The data also showed a significant increase in specific categories of accidents. Tractor-trolley accidents rose by 27 per cent, followed by cars (17 per cent), motorcycles (15 per cent), buses (14 per cent), rickshaws (13 per cent), and trucks (10 per cent), as cited by The Express Tribune report.

- ANI