Another tragic day on the winding roads of Jammu and Kashmir has once again laid bare the fragile state of road safety in the Union Territory’s hilly districts. The accident in Doda, where a passenger-laden tempo traveller skidded off a blind curve and plunged into a deep gorge, claimed seven lives—including those of a woman and a five-year-old child—and left 17 others seriously injured. The incident, heart-wrenching in its immediacy, is neither rare nor unexpected. It belongs to a disturbing pattern that continues to repeat itself across mountainous regions like Doda, Ramban, Poonch, and Kishtwar, where sharp turns, narrow roads, overloading, and regulatory apathy combine to create a lethal mix. These are not mere accidents—they are preventable tragedies that expose a systemic failure to adapt transportation and regulatory frameworks to the unique challenges of hill terrain.
The location of the accident, near Ponda on the Doda-Bharth road, is notorious for its blind curves and lack of adequate barriers. That the vehicle in question was reportedly overloaded raises critical questions about the enforcement of basic transport rules. The loss of control by the driver around a sharp bend at 9 in the morning, on a road known for poor visibility and difficult gradients, only adds to the sense that nothing has truly changed despite repeated promises of reform. The quick response by local residents and emergency services deserves appreciation, but it also highlights a recurring reliance on community-led rescue in the absence of institutional preparedness. In the aftermath of the accident, responses poured in from various quarters—condolences from the various quarters, and assurances of relief and medical assistance. But these statements, while necessary, are becoming tragically familiar. What is conspicuously missing is a sustained policy conversation around why these accidents happen with such regularity and what structural changes are needed to prevent them. Hill districts like Doda are not just harder to access—they demand an entirely different approach to transport design, safety regulation, and emergency response. The failure to acknowledge this specificity in policy terms is a major contributor to the death toll we witness year after year. The problem is not simply one of enforcement, though that remains a major concern. It is equally about design and infrastructure. Most roads in these regions were not built with modern traffic volumes in mind. They are narrow, lack guardrails, and are vulnerable to landslides and sudden weather changes. Adding to the danger is the widespread culture of overloading—driven by economic necessity, a lack of adequate public transport, and administrative blind spots. When overburdened vehicles operate without real-time oversight or functional vehicle fitness checks, accidents are not just likely; they are inevitable. Equally troubling is the absence of a hill-specific traffic management policy. What works in plains cannot simply be replicated in the mountains. Speed limits, licensing standards, signage, driver training, and even the choice of vehicle types must all be rethought through the lens of terrain sensitivity. Emergency medical services also need to be better distributed across such regions. The critical “golden hour” after an accident often passes in remote areas due to a lack of well-equipped trauma centers, ambulances, and trained personnel. Moreover, awareness campaigns about safe driving practices in hill regions remain sporadic and ineffective. Many drivers on these routes operate without the rigorous training required for navigating hilly terrain. Incorporating a hill-driving module into licensing procedures, mandatory for drivers in designated hill districts, is an urgent need. The Doda tragedy should not be reduced to a statistic or another fleeting headline. It must become a turning point in the way we think about road safety in Jammu and Kashmir’s mountainous regions. A region that is aspiring to grow its economy through tourism, trade, and improved connectivity cannot afford to let its lifelines become death traps. It is time for the administration to move beyond condolences and initiate a coordinated policy response that blends infrastructure upgrades, regulatory enforcement, terrain-specific planning, and community participation.
The lives lost on the curves of Doda were not just victims of a single accident—they were victims of accumulated negligence. Their deaths must galvanize a comprehensive strategy, rooted in the understanding that hill regions demand a unique, carefully crafted approach to transport safety. Only then can we hope to travel these roads with confidence, not fear.