LAHORE (Kashmir English): Road accidents across Punjab claimed 4,791 lives in 2025 so far, marking a sharp 19 percent surge in fatalities compared to the previous year, data from Rescue 1122 shows.
According to the emergency service’s annual data, a total of 482,870 road traffic accidents were reported in Punjab during 2025, resulting in death of 4,791 people and injuries to nearly 570,000 people.
In comparison, 467,561 accidents were recorded in 2024, which led to 4,139 deaths, while 420,387 crashes in 2023 claimed 3,967 lives.
The figures highlight a worrying trend: while road traffic accidents increased by 5.8% in 2025 – significantly lower than the 11.9% rise observed in 2024 – the number of deaths rose disproportionately, indicating greater severity of the accidents.
Dr Rizwan Naseer, Emergency Services Secretary, expressed concern over the data while presiding over an annual operational review meeting on road traffic crashes.
“In Pakistan, a road traffic accident occurs almost every minute, and tragically, the primary victims are often the breadwinners of families,” he said, terming the situation in Punjab “extremely alarming”.
He noted that more than 75% of fatal accidents involved motorcycles, underscoring the vulnerability of two-wheeler riders.
He suggested that reducing motorcycle speed limit to 50 kilometres per hour alone could significantly lower the number of injuries and deaths. “Every increase of one kilometre per hour raises the risk of a fatal accident by four to 5%,” he warned.
In the meeting, officials reviewed major emergencies, district-level performance, operational challenges, case studies and lessons learned during the outgoing year.
A briefing revealed that Lahore recorded the highest number of road traffic accidents in 2025, with 88,743 cases, followed by Faisalabad (32,309) and Multan (29,804).
On the other hand, Murree reported the lowest number of accidents at 1,889, while Attock recorded 3,748 and Jhelum 4,301 crashes.
Cities record decline in road accidents
Interestingly, despite high absolute numbers, Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi all showed a decline in road accidents compared to 2024. Accidents fell by 5.85% in Lahore, 4.33% in Rawalpindi and 1.82% in Faisalabad.
However, the data showed an increase in traffic crashes in 34 other districts across Punjab.
An analysis of vehicle involvement showed that motorcycles were responsible for 75% of all accidents. Cars accounted for 8.6%, rickshaws 4.7%, buses, trucks and vans 4.3%, while 7.4% involved other types of vehicles.
Pedestrians were affected in 10.34% of road accidents, highlighting the risks faced by those walking on or near busy roads.
The data also pointed to a sharp rise in certain categories of accidents. Tractor-trolley crashes increased by 27%, followed by car (17%), motorcycle (15%), bus (14%), rickshaw (13%) and truck (10%). Accidents involving vans showed a slight decrease of 2%.
