Road safety in Kashmir cannot continue to be treated as a matter of occasional campaigns, ceremonial inspections and appeals to motorists. Every crash that claims a life or leaves a family devastated is a reminder that the crisis is not caused by recklessness alone. It is also rooted in unsafe roads, weak enforcement, poor traffic planning, defective vehicles and an administrative culture that often responds only after tragedy strikes. The valley’s roads are under growing pressure. The number of vehicles has increased sharply, while road infrastructure, parking facilities and traffic management systems have failed to keep pace. Narrow roads, encroachments, inadequate signage, missing crash barriers and poorly marked diversions have made ordinary journeys hazardous. In several areas, pedestrians, cyclists and schoolchildren are forced to compete for space with fast-moving traffic. This is not merely an inconvenience; it is a serious public safety failure. Overspeeding, dangerous overtaking, driving under the influence and the use of mobile phones behind the wheel remain major causes of accidents. But enforcement cannot be reduced to occasional challans or roadside drives. The law must be applied consistently, visibly and without favour. Commercial vehicles, private cars, motorcycles and government vehicles must be held to the same standards. Fitness certificates should be issued only after genuine inspections, and unfit vehicles must not be allowed to remain on the roads. Road engineering also demands urgent attention. Black spots must be identified through data, not guesswork, and corrected through proper lighting, signage, lane markings, speed-calming measures and protective barriers. Roads near schools, hospitals and densely populated settlements require special treatment. Footpaths, pedestrian crossings and safe waiting areas are not luxuries; they are essential components of a functioning transport system. The administration must also improve emergency response. The minutes immediately after a crash often determine whether an injured person survives. Ambulance networks, trauma-care facilities and coordination between police and hospitals need to be strengthened, particularly along highways and remote roads. A quick response can save lives that might otherwise be lost because help arrived too late. Public awareness remains important, but responsibility should not be shifted entirely onto citizens. Campaigns urging people to wear helmets or seat belts will have little impact if helmets are of poor quality, seat belts are ignored by enforcement agencies, and roads remain dangerously designed. Awareness must be supported by accountability. The government should publish district-wise road safety targets, accident data and progress reports. Independent audits and community participation can help identify risks that official inspections overlook. Road safety is not a seasonal slogan. It is a continuous obligation involving every department—from transport and police to public works and health. Kashmir needs a coordinated road safety policy that values human life above speed, convenience and administrative routine. Until that happens, each accident will remain a warning ignored—and each preventable death a failure for which someone must answer.
