A recent road accident in Dwarka put the internet and media channels on fire with mother of the young victim crying her heart out at the possibility of her late son not getting justice. A week earlier, newspapers had come out with a report citing data that Delhi’s lifelines the Ring Road and the Outer Ring were most prone to road crashes.
The city recorded 1500 fatal accidents in 2025. While such a high volume of deaths on the roads just remain part of ‘cold data’, the death on the roads of Dwarka makes a human story. This happened because a mother decided to make a cause and take up the fight for justice.
However, her story cannot be discussed in isolation. The road safety in the national Capital has to be discussed in totality. As mentioned earlier, the overall road safety data shows that a significant portion of road crash fatalities in Delhi happen on high-speed corridors such as Ring Road and Outer Ring Road, with pedestrians and two-wheeler riders among the most vulnerable victims.
According to the police data for 2025, the Ring Road, which loops around central Delhi and connects key localities such as Ashram, AIIMS, Dhaula Kuan, Punjabi Bagh and ISBT Kashmere Gate, recorded 130 fatal accidents, making it the most dangerous corridor in the capital. Meanwhile, the Outer Ring Road, a 47-km high-speed six-lane urban ring that passes through areas including Salimgarh Fort near Kashmere Gate, Rohini, IIT Delhi and Nehru Place, saw 113 fatal crashes in the same period.
What’s revealing is the timing of these crashes. A disproportionate number of these accidents occur between midnight and early morning. Daytime congestion, ironically, acts as a speed governor. At night, when traffic thins and speeds rise, the geometry of these roads, wide carriageways, long uninterrupted flyovers, and curves turn lethal. High design speeds combined with driver’s fatigue, low visibility, and occasional road impairment create a dangerous cocktail.
However, what’s to be understood is that despite blaming the various issues related to the two Ring Roads, there were 1200 plus fatal cases reported from other roads in Delhi. Which speaks immensely about the mess we have at hand, the Dwarka incident involving minor driver being just one of them. This is not a corridor-specific malfunction but a citywide road safety failure.
Cold data, when intelligently interpreted, prevents future tragedies. Emotional stories mobilise attention but its data which must guide solutions. Delhi possesses substantial crash data, yet policy responses frequently follow media cycles rather than analytical priorities.
A scientific safety regime demands identification of micro-level blackspots, not just infamous corridors like the ring roads. There also has to be close examination of the nature of crash and patterns like speeding, turning conflicts, pedestrian impacts and illegal vehicles and the menace of non-licensed or underage drivers. Delhi’s road safety challenge is not merely about reckless drivers or flawed roads but an admixture of flawed infrastructure, faulty policy, and debased human psychology.
Road safety is not just preventing crashes but also about reducing fatalities when crashes occur. Rapid trauma care can mean the difference between life and death. The Dwarka crash victim could have survived if he had received timely medical help. Improved ambulance response times, better coordination between traffic police and emergency services, and wider public awareness of Good Samaritan protections can significantly improve survival rates.
The Dwarka incident resonates not because it is rare, but because it is painfully common. Delhi’s road safety crisis is neither mysterious nor inevitable. Safer roads demand societal awareness. People in Delhi often celebrate speed, safety appears abstract until tragedy strikes. Public messaging must reinforce a simple principle that roads are shared public spaces, not speedways. Every design decision, enforcement policy, and behavioural norm must prioritise preservation of life over marginal gains in travel time.
Sidharth Mishra
Author and president, Centre for Reforms, Development & Justice