LAHORE:
Road traffic accidents (RTCs) across Punjab have claimed 4,791 lives in 2025 so far, marking a sharp 19 percent increase in deaths compared to the previous year, despite a slower rise in the number of accidents, data from Rescue 1122 shows.
According to the emergency services’ annual statistics, a total of 482,870 road accidents have been reported in Punjab during 2025, resulting in injuries to nearly 570,000 people. In comparison, 467,561 accidents were recorded in 2024, leading to 4,139 deaths, while 420,387 accidents in 2023 claimed 3,967 lives.
The figures highlight a worrying trend: while road accidents increased by 5.8% in 2025 – significantly lower than the 11.9% increase observed in 2024 – the number of deaths increased disproportionately, indicating greater severity of accidents.
Emergency services secretary Dr. Rizwan Naseer expressed concern over the data while chairing an annual operational review meeting on road accidents.
“In Pakistan, a road accident happens almost every minute and tragically, the primary victims are often the breadwinners of families,” he said, describing the situation in Punjab as “extremely alarming”.
Dr. Naseer noted that more than 75% of fatal accidents involved motorcycles, highlighting the vulnerability of two-wheeler riders. He emphasized that reducing the motorcycle speed to 50 kilometers per hour alone can significantly reduce the number of injuries and deaths. “Every increase of one kilometer per hour increases the risk of a fatal accident by four to 5%,” he warned.
The meeting was attended by heads of various wings of the emergency department, the provincial vigilance officer and district emergency officers (DEOs) who participated through video link.
Officials reviewed major emergencies, district level achievements, operational challenges, case studies and lessons learned throughout the year.
A briefing by the operations chief revealed that Lahore had recorded the highest number of road accidents in 2025 with 88,743 cases followed by Faisalabad (32,309) and Multan (29,804).
At the other end of the spectrum, Murree reported the lowest number of accidents at 1,889, while Attock recorded 3,748 and Jhelum 4,301 accidents.
Interestingly, despite high absolute numbers, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad all showed a decrease in road accidents compared to 2024. Accidents decreased by 5.85% in Lahore, 4.33% in Rawalpindi and 1.82% in Faisalabad.
However, the data showed an increase in RTCs 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 by 10.34% of road accidents, highlighting the risks faced by those walking on or near busy roads.
In terms of injuries, Rescue 1122 data showed that the majority of victims suffered fractures and head injuries. These included 39,250 cases of single fractures, 19,603 head injuries, 8,362 multiple fractures and 1,125 spinal cord injuries. Of the 569,901 people injured in traffic accidents, 80.6% were men and 19.4% were women.
The data also pointed to a sharp increase in certain categories of accidents. Tractor-trolley accidents increased by 27%, followed by car (17%), motorcycle (15%), bus (14%), rickshaw (13%) and truck (10%).
Accidents with vans showed a slight decrease of 2%.
The provincial secretary emphasized the use of properly fastened helmets that do not obstruct vision or hearing, and warned against risky practices such as women sitting sideways on motorcycles or wearing loose clothing that could be caught in wheels.
