474 killed in Punjab road crashes in March

Rescue 1122 reports over 24,000 injuries; motorcycles Involved in 72% of crashes

LAHORE:

Punjab witnessed a rise in road traffic incidents last month, with 44,656 accidents reported across the province, resulting in 474 deaths and 24,306 serious injuries, according to the Emergency Services Department (Rescue 1122).

Secretary of the Emergency Services Department Dr Rizwan Naseer reviewed the operational performance of all districts for March 2026, highlighting the growing burden of road accidents alongside other emergencies.

During the month, Rescue 1122 responded to 200,203 emergencies, rescuing 206,511 victims provincewide.

Speaking at the monthly operational review, Dr. Rizwan expressed grave concern over the high number of fatalities and injuries.

He urged motorists, especially motorcyclists, to strictly follow traffic rules.

Motorcycles were involved in 72% of all accidents, he noted, stressing that speeds above 50 km/hr drastically increase the risk of fatal crashes.

"Every 1 km/hr increase in speed raises the chance of a deadly accident by 4 to 5 per cent," he warned.

Lahore emerged as the most affected district, with 7,486 accidents claiming 36 lives and involving 8,287 motorcycles.

Faisalabad followed with 3,018 accidents, including 3,246 motorcycles, while Multan recorded 2,865 accidents with 3,393 motorcycles involved.

Other major districts included Gujranwala (2,356 RTCs, 2,512 motorcycles), Sheikhupura (1,695 RTCs, 1,616 motorcycles), and Bahawalpur (1,373 RTCs). Murree reported the lowest number of incidents at 130, including 87 motorcycles.

Rescue 1122 also handled a wide range of emergencies, including 56,517 accident-related cases, 37,584 cardio-vascular emergencies, 28,931 gastro-intestinal cases, and 18,209 respiratory emergencies.

Neuro-psychological cases numbered 14,168, fever-related incidents 8,577, diabetic emergencies 5,573, urinary issues 5,507, gynaecological and obstetric cases 5,157, and back or joint pain 3,814. Fire and rescue teams responded to 5,799 incidents, mostly in Lahore (452), Faisalabad (160), Rawalpindi (141), Rahim Yar Khan (114), Multan (77), and Gujranwala (73).