Seven killed in car-SUV collision in Gujarat's Surendranagar

Ahmedabad, Aug 17 (IANS) Seven persons were killed in a road accident near Dedadara village in Surendranagar district on Sunday afternoon after a Swift Dzire collided head-on with a Tata Harrier SUV.

The crash, which occurred around 3:30 pm, resulted in the Dzire catching fire and trapping all its passengers inside. Police confirmed that all seven occupants of the car were burnt alive, while three individuals travelling in the SUV managed to escape with minor injuries.

The incident caused a major traffic jam on the busy highway before locals, police personnel, and a 108 emergency team reached the spot to launch rescue and relief operations. Authorities are investigating the circumstances that led to the accident.

Gujarat has witnessed a worrying uptick in road accident injuries and fatalities in recent years, even as the total number of accidents has decreased. In 2024, over 162,000 people were hospitalized in road accidents—averaging 19 injuries every hour across the state. In the first seven months of that year alone, Ahmedabad reported 15,489 injury cases, while the total statewide count hit nearly 93,000, equating to 18 injuries per hour.

Comparing early 2025 data, between January and April, Gujarat logged 52,243 injuries, which means roughly 498 road accidents occur daily, or 21 people injured every hour. Ahmedabad again led in accident injuries, followed by Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, and Gandhinagar.

Examining the period from 2018 to 2022, Gujarat recorded 80,150 road accidents, leading to 36,626 deaths. Notably, a staggering 15,978 fatalities involved victims who were unprotected without helmets or seat belts. Other contributing factors included overspeeding, unlicensed driving, and overloaded vehicles.

The Gujarat government has launched multiple initiatives to curb road accidents, focusing on stricter enforcement of traffic laws, improved infrastructure, and awareness campaigns. Under the Gujarat Road Safety Authority (GujRoSA), efforts include black spot identification and rectification, installation of speed cameras, and stricter penalties for helmetless riders, drunk driving, and overspeeding.

The state has also invested in highway patrol vehicles, expanded 108 emergency response services for quicker medical aid, and introduced technology-driven monitoring such as ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) systems. Alongside, awareness campaigns in schools and colleges, mandatory road safety education, and drives promoting seat belt and helmet usage are being intensified.

Despite a decline in total accidents, the government is now emphasizing reducing fatalities through better enforcement and rapid trauma care.

--IANS

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