13 killed, over 1,500 injured in Punjab road crashes in a day

• Rescue 1122 responds to 1,312 traffic accidents across all 37 districts

• Motorbikes account for 80pc of crashes, highlighting urgent road safety concerns

• Lahore tops accident tally with 215 RTCs, followed by Multan and Gujranwala

 LAHORE: At least 13 people lost their lives and 1,513 others were injured in 1,312 road traffic crashes (RTCs) reported across all 37 districts of Punjab during the last 24 hours, according to the Emergency Services Department (ESD).

The ESD said 688 critically injured victims were shifted to various hospitals for treatment, while 825 people with minor injuries received on-the-spot medical assistance from Rescue Medical Teams, helping ease the burden on hospital emergency departments.

The data showed that motorbikes were involved in 80 per cent of the crashes, highlighting the urgent need for stricter enforcement of traffic laws and better lane discipline to curb the rising number of road accidents across the province.

The analysis further revealed that 866 drivers, 59 underage drivers, 181 pedestrians and 479 passengers were among those affected in the crashes.

Among the districts, Lahore recorded the highest number of accidents, with 215 RTCs injuring 261 people. It was followed by Multan, where 95 crashes left 115 people injured, while Gujranwala ranked third with 69 RTCs affecting 74 victims.

The statistics further showed that of the 1,513 victims, 1,257 were men and 269 were women. In terms of age, 340 victims were below 18 years, 759 were between 18 and 40 years, while the remaining 427 were above the age of 40.

According to the ESD, the vehicles involved in the crashes included 1,365 motorcycles, 105 auto-rickshaws, 144 motorcars, 27 vans, seven passenger buses, 45 trucks, and 68 other types of vehicles and slow-moving carts.