Delhi’s uneven road safety gains: Central district leads, outer zones still deadly

Central Delhi’s turnaround proves that redesigned central verges or other road engineering methods can save lives.

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Delhi’s road safety map resembles a patchwork — stretches of visible progress stitched alongside pockets of persisting peril.

The first half of 2025 brings both relief and unease as the city’s safety gains remain uneven as some districts have remained unchanged.

Between Jan and June this year, the capital recorded 677 fatal road accidents, a dip from 764 in the same period in 2024. Road deaths also dropped by nearly 10 per cent, from 778 to 700. At first glance, these figures suggest the city is moving in the right direction. Yet, the gains are not spread evenly across its districts.

In central Delhi, the change is tangible. A typical evening near Red Fort or ISBT Kashmiri Gate still buzzes with office-goers, tourists and roadside vendors. However, fatal crashes in the district dropped from 38 to 17, and deaths more than halved, from 39 to 17. Officials credit stricter enforcement and physical road changes, like grill installations. “In areas near Chandni Chowk, which once saw fatal accidents between pedestrians and vehicles, the installation of grills and U-turn barriers has worked wonders. Fatalities near one hotspot dropped from 11 to 3,” said a senior traffic officer. Interestingly, central Delhi overtook the New Delhi district as the least fatal zone in 2025.

New Delhi district, surrounded by VIP areas like Kartavya Path and Chanakyapuri, remains among the safer zones. Fatal accidents and fatalities have dropped from 20 to 19. It is second only to central Delhi.

While the core of Delhi has become safer, its edges are fraught with danger, as earlier.

Outer North, stretching across Narela, Bawana and Alipur continues to be Delhi’s deadliest zone. Fatal accidents here rose from 93 to 97, and deaths from 95 to 103, when the total number of crashes dropped from 313 to 263. Like 2024, it tops the charts this time too.

Sources said it is a place that sees a lot of high-speed trucks. A single misstep can be catastrophic.

The data bears this out. Around 36 per cent of total crashes in the district are fatal. “It is also because people do not follow road ethics in most of these places,” sources said, adding, “North district, too, struggles with similar challenges. It has seen 61 fatal crashes this year.”

The rest of Delhi sits between these extremes. South West district, covering Vasant Vihar, IGI Airport and Kapashera, is second on the list with 73 fatalities, down from 80 last year. West Delhi, with busy corridors like Rajouri Garden and Punjabi Bagh, saw a dip from 69 deaths last year to 64 now, but still ranks high on the chart. Traffic officials blame a mix of signal-jumping, illegal turns and poor lane discipline for the persistently high numbers.

Some districts, however, show promising trends. Dwarka cut fatal crashes from 50 to 39 and deaths from 51 to 41, aided by its CCTV network and wide, well-monitored roads. North West district, covering parts of Rohini and Pitampura, saw fatalities drop from 63 to 45. East Delhi — from Mayur Vihar to Akshardham crossings — recorded a decline in deaths from 43 to 33. Even Rohini, with its high commuter density, managed to reduce fatalities from 40 to 32.

Yet, trouble lingers on the city’s borders. The outer districts, covering Nangloi and Tikri, saw fatal crashes and deaths climb from 45 to 51, despite fewer total crashes (from 180 to 164). The South district, home to the winding Mehrauli-Badarpur stretch and areas like Saket and Sangam Vihar, saw fatalities inch up from 33 to 35.

Adding complexity to the count is the rise in injuries. Even as fatal accidents and deaths dropped, injuries went up from 2,566 last year to 2,617 this year. Experts point to the growing number of vulnerable road users — delivery riders, two-wheelers, pedestrians — who survive crashes but with severe injuries.

The numbers tell a story of cautious progress. Central Delhi’s turnaround proves that redesigned central verges or other road engineering methods can save lives. However, the deadlier stretches of Outer North, South West, and Outer districts — where heavy trucks rule and infrastructure lags — remain glaring weak spots.

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