On October 1, four men lost their lives and one sustained severe injuries after their car, coming from the wrong direction, hit a tractor at Noida’s Sector 24.
On Wednesday alone, Noida Traffic Police seized 39 vehicles in just 45 minutes for driving in the wrong lane. Most of those seized vehicles were motorcycles, said a traffic police officer.
According to data shared by the Gautam Buddh Nagar Traffic Police Wednesday, challans issued for wrong-side driving saw an increase of 26.02% between January and August as compared to the same period last year.
“Initially, in Noida, most accidents would happen when drivers would hit a parked vehicle but now, those cases have come down,” said Gautam Buddh Nagar, Commissioner of Police, Laxmi Singh.
On the increase in challans issued for driving in the wrong lane, Singh said people take shortcuts thinking they can save fuel. “But when one drives in the wrong direction, the speed cannot be the same and the person is more likely to meet with an accident.”
A Traffic Police officer said the rise in the number of e-rickshaws has also contributed to an increase in road accidents: “It is difficult to regulate them. Most of them are owned by influential people and often rented to locals. Every time we take action against them, they create a nuisance.”
The officer also noted that e-rickshaws are often stationed haphazardly and drive without headlights to save their battery. “In certain cases, riders in the opposite lanes do not see them, leading to accidents,” he said.
Besides, in the last eight months, there have been 773 cases of road accidents — almost 6.6% more as compared to last year — shows data. From January 1 to August 31, 2023, the district reported 725 cases. These include cases in which there have been fatalities and injuries. Singh said most challans issued are for offences like driving without a helmet, rash driving, jumping red lights, driving in the wrong lane, and speeding.
As per the data, the total number of challans issued for driving without a helmet from January to August last year was 6,89,883. In 2024, this spiked by 65.23% with 11,39,866 challans issued.
Similarly, challans for rash driving increased by 57.59% this year.
Commissioner Singh said the force is working seriously on the ‘Golden Hour Policy’, which is the first crucial hour after an accident. Instant first aid given to road accident victims during this hour increases their chances of survival and reduces the severity of injuries.
“Every time, we are alerted to an accident, the local Station House Officer immediately rushes to the spot. Those injured are immediately taken to the nearby hospital. This has brought down the death rates,” she said.
She also said most road accident cases occur because of unplanned road construction. “Some roads have sharp U-turns, which are obtuse in angle, and the median intersections are not properly defined. We have written to Noida Authority officials time and again, but have failed to get any reply from them,” she claimed.
However, Noida Authority Chief Executive Officer Lokesh M said he is ready to take up any proposal to ease congestion on roads and reduce the number of road fatalities. “We have a designated Traffic Police personnel in the Authority, who takes care of the department. All the roads were built before my appointment. If, by any chance, I have missed those letters, I will look into it with immediate effect,” the CEO said.
Commissioner Singh further said newer offences like driving in no-entry zones, driving without retro-reflective tapes, and use of lightbars, have been highlighted separately for a detailed action plan.
In the last eight months, there have been 773 cases of road accidents – almost 6.6% more as compared to the last year. (Express Archives) 
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