SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir recorded 5,318 road accidents and 984 fatalities in 2025, while pedestrian deaths more than tripled to 477 from 144 a year earlier, according to data placed by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways before the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The figures show that road fatalities in JK increased from 893 in 2024 to 984 in 2025, while the number of accidents declined from 5,808 to 5,318. The number of persons injured also fell from 7,820 in 2024 to 7,594 in 2025.
The sharp rise in pedestrian fatalities was accompanied by an increase in pedestrian injuries, which rose from 1,245 in 2024 to 1,715 in 2025, the data showed.
The Union Government said JK recorded 3,269 road accidents, 603 deaths and 4,775 injuries in 2026 up to July 27. During the same period, 226 pedestrians were killed and 1,005 injured.
The latest figures were provided by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari in response to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on road accidents, fatalities and road safety.
In 2021, JK had recorded 5,452 accidents, 774 fatalities and 6,972 injuries. The figures rose to 6,092 accidents, 805 deaths and 8,372 injuries in 2022, followed by 6,298 accidents, 893 deaths and 8,469 injuries in 2023.
Across India, the number of road accidents rose from 4,12,432 in 2021 to 5,13,474 in 2025, while fatalities increased from 1,53,972 to 1,83,434 during the period. The country recorded 2,96,447 accidents and 1,01,139 deaths up to July 27, 2026.
The Union Government said road accidents are multi-causal and result from an interplay of human error, road and environmental conditions and vehicle-related factors.
National data showed over-speeding remained the largest recorded traffic-rule violation linked to accidents, accounting for 3,45,024 cases in 2024 and 82,124 cases in 2025. Distraction to drivers was recorded as a factor in 2,03,897 accidents in 2025, compared with 1,46,025 in 2024.
The Government also reported 294 accidents attributed to potholes in 2025, against 229 in 2024. Up to July 27 this year, 100 accidents had been attributed to potholes, while 1,51,526 were recorded under driver distraction and 29,628 under road-condition-related causes.
The Centre said 6,358 black corridors had been identified on National Highways based on accident data for 2023-25, using AI-based tools developed by IIT Kanpur. These corridors are continuous stretches meeting criteria based on accidents involving fatalities and grievous injuries.
The Government said short-term measures for black-corridor rectification include road markings, signages, crash barriers, road studs, delineators, closure of unauthorised median openings, traffic-calming measures and highway lighting. Long-term interventions include road geometric improvements, junction upgrades, carriageway widening and construction of underpasses and overpasses.
It said road safety audits by third-party auditors or experts have been made mandatory for National Highway projects at the design, construction, operation and maintenance stages.
The Union Government said it has adopted a four-pronged road safety strategy based on education, engineering, enforcement and emergency care, alongside measures including driving training centres, automated vehicle testing, mandatory safety features and the electronic Detailed Accident Report system for centralised accident data collection and analysis.
