Deadly Road Crashes Claim 410 Lives Across Punjab in February

By Dr Ansab Ali | Lahore, Pakistan
LAHORE: At least 410 people lost their lives in 37,938 road traffic crashes across Punjab during February 2026, according to official data reviewed by the Emergency Services Department.
Secretary Emergency Services, Dr Rizwan Naseer, chaired the monthly operational performance review meeting and expressed serious concern over the alarming number of fatalities and injuries reported during the month.
According to the data shared by Rescue 1122, the department responded to 187,761 emergencies across Punjab in February, rescuing 189,869 victims. These emergencies included 125,152 medical cases and 37,938 road traffic crashes, which resulted in 19,773 serious injuries and 410 deaths.
Other reported incidents included 6,380 falls and slips, 4,927 delivery cases, 3,320 crime-related incidents, 2,085 fire emergencies, 1,968 occupational injuries, 1,121 animal rescues, 563 electric shocks, 451 burn cases, 43 drowning incidents, 34 structural collapses, and 3,779 miscellaneous operations.
The district-wise breakdown revealed that the highest number of road crashes occurred in Lahore, where 6,961 accidents were reported, resulting in 40 deaths. Other major districts included Faisalabad (2,690 crashes), Multan (2,486), Gujranwala (2,044), Sheikhupura (1,433), and Rawalpindi (1,186), while 21,138 accidents occurred in other districts.
Fire incidents were also concentrated in major urban centers, with 372 cases reported in Lahore, 180 in Faisalabad, 141 in Rawalpindi, 110 in Rahim Yar Khan, 72 in Gujranwala, and 69 in Multan.
Dr Naseer highlighted that motorcycles were involved in 69 percent of the total road accidents during the month. He urged motorcyclists to drive on the left side of the road and maintain speeds below 50 km/h, warning that every increase of 1 km/h raises the risk of a fatal crash by four to five percent.
He emphasized the need for improved road safety awareness and responsible driving practices to curb the rising number of traffic-related fatalities across the province.