Dead, 1,497 Injured in 1,260 Road Traffic Crashes Across Punjab

By Dr. Ansab Ali, Lahore, Pakistan
LAHORE: The Emergency Services Department (ESD) responded to 1,260 road traffic crashes (RTCs) across all 37 districts of Punjab during the last 24 hours, resulting in 17 deaths and 1,497 injuries.
According to Rescue 1122, 693 seriously injured victims were shifted to various hospitals, while 801 people with minor injuries were treated at the scene by Rescue Medical Teams, helping reduce the burden on hospitals.
The report revealed that 77 percent of the crashes involved motorcycles, underscoring the urgent need for stricter enforcement of traffic laws and improved lane discipline to reduce the increasing number of road accidents.
Among the victims were 838 drivers, 60 underage drivers, 166 pedestrians, and 507 passengers.
Lahore recorded the highest number of accidents, with 216 crashes affecting 261 people, followed by Multan with 90 crashes affecting 101 victims, and Faisalabad with 84 crashes affecting 95 victims.
Overall, 1,511 people were affected, including 1,203 males and 308 females. Age-wise, 283 victims were under 18 years of age, 817 were between 18 and 40 years, while 411 were above 40 years old.
According to the data, the accidents involved 1,324 motorcycles, 68 auto-rickshaws, 110 cars, 21 vans, 16 passenger buses, 55 trucks, and 76 other vehicles and slow-moving carts.
Rescue officials stressed that greater public awareness, strict compliance with traffic regulations, and improved road safety measures are essential to reducing the growing number of road traffic accidents across Punjab.