After drop during lockdown, road deaths up 60% in July-Sept over Q1

New Delhi: After registering a sharp decline in road fatalities during the total lockdown period (March 24 to May 31), road deaths increased in the July-September quarter as vehicular traffic went up with the lifting of lockdown norms. The data provided by states to the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety for the last quarter shows that during these three months, 33,281 persons were killed in road crashes, which was only 4.3% less than the lives lost on roads during the corresponding period last year.

However, the total reduction in road deaths during this year till September is 22% (24,900 less deaths), primarily because of the total lockdown when limited numbers of vehicles were allowed on the roads and economic activities too had declined. During the total lockdown period, fatalities had reduced by 62%. According to data from states, road crashes claimed 1.14 lakh lives till September-end compared to 89,500 during the same period in 2019.