PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 20 -- Excessive road pressure, coupled with inadequate traffic management due to a lack of requisite staff strength in the traffic department, has led to a steady rise in road accidents and subsequent fatalities over the years in the district. According to official records, a total of 5,844 accidents were reported on Prayagraj roads over the past 54 months, from January 2021 to July 2025. These incidents claimed 2,679 lives and left 3,663 critically injured, averaging over 49 deaths per month or nearly two deaths per day. Similarly, an average of 68 people were critically injured each month during this period, translating to more than two serious injuries daily on Prayagraj roads. Some of the major causes behind these casualties include underage driving, wrong-side driving, road rage and drunken driving-most of which have remained largely unchecked due to an acute shortage of traffic personnel to enforce regulations. Traffic inspector Amit Kumar stated that excessive road pressure, combined with inadequate monitoring and regulation across most of the 256 identified traffic intersections in the district, has severely compromised commuter safety. If official data is to be believed, in 2021, 1,165 accidents occurred, resulting in 542 deaths and 801 critical injuries. In 2022, 1,370 fatal accidents were reported, claiming 603 lives and critically injuring 886. In 2023, 1,297 fatal road mishaps occurred, causing 582 deaths and 857 critical injuries. In 2024, 1,246 accidents resulted in 547 deaths and 832 critical injuries. In the first seven months of 2025, from January to July, 766 accidents have been reported, with 405 fatalities and 287 people left critically injured. Against a sanctioned staff strength of 1,268, only 553 traffic personnel are currently available to manage road operations-less than half of what is required. Data further reveals that 1,05,067 challans were issued by the traffic department during the January to July 2025 period, averaging over 15,000 challans per month or more than 500 per day. Month-wise, May recorded the highest number of challans at 19,731, followed by April with 18,419, June with 18,317, July with 16,198, February with 11,922, January with 10,461, and March with 10,041. Further analysis shows that 13,770 commuters were fined for driving without a valid licence, 4,380 for wrong-side driving, 983 for underage driving, and 139 for drunken driving, among other violations. A senior traffic department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, emphasised that with Prayagraj set to host the 2031 Kumbh Mela, the government must address the pressing needs of Sangam City. Without an increase in staff strength and resources, the current traffic chaos is likely to worsen as vehicle numbers continue to rise. It is worth noting that each of Prayagraj's 43 police stations has been equipped with a breath analyser, and the Traffic Department itself possesses nearly a dozen of these devices to deter drunken driving. As per Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, a blood alcohol concentration exceeding 30 mg per 100 ml is deemed unsafe and is punishable with a fine of Rs 10,000....