Jaipur, May 9 -- Jaipur recorded 2,959 accidental deaths during 2024, making it the fifth-highest among the country's 53 "mega cities" after Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Delhi, according to a report from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). NCRB defines "mega cities" as those with populations exceeding two million. "A total of 69,378 accidental deaths were reported in 53 mega cities during 2024. Maximum numbers of accidental deaths (8,655 deaths) were reported in Mumbai accounting for 12.5% of total deaths, followed by Pune (5,412), Bengaluru (4,597), Delhi City (3,722), Jaipur (2,959) and Surat (2,491)," the NCRB's 'Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2024' report stated. The data highlights how rapid urban expansion, increasing vehicular pressure and unsafe driving behaviours are turning Jaipur into one of the country's major urban safety concerns. At the state level too, Rajasthan reported 30,794 accidental deaths in 2024, accounting for 6.6% of all accidental deaths in India. The state's accidental death rate stood at 37.5 per 100,000 population - significantly above the national average of 33.3. The NCRB report shows that traffic accidents remain the biggest killer. Rajasthan recorded 12,284 traffic accident deaths in 2024, placing it among the worst-affected states in the country. Traffic accidents include road accidents, railway accidents, incidents on railway tracks or railway premises, and accidents at railway crossings. For Jaipur city alone, traffic accidents claimed 1,001 lives during 2024 - the second-highest among India's mega cities after Delhi, which recorded 2,181 deaths. The report further reveals that Jaipur witnessed 860 road accident deaths and 2,580 injuries during the year. The city recorded 135 deaths involving SUVs, cars and jeeps, while trucks and mini-trucks were linked to 77 fatalities. Buses accounted for six deaths during the year. While 187 people lost their lives while walking on roads, the report stated. Nationally, NCRB data shows that over-speeding caused 52.8% of road accident deaths in mega cities, while dangerous or careless driving accounted for another 30.1%. The report also notes that the highest number of traffic accidents across India occurred between 6 pm and 9 pm, suggesting that evening congestion and speeding continue to be major risk factors. Beyond accidents, the NCRB report also flags a worrying mental health trend in Rajasthan. The state reported 5,530 suicides in 2024, including 4,042 men and 1,488 women. Jaipur city alone recorded 555 suicides during the year, including 404 men and 151 women. Across India, "family problems", illness and addiction emerged as the leading causes behind suicides. The NCRB report states that family-related issues alone accounted for 33.5% of suicides nationally. The report also points to a broader national rise in accidental deaths. India recorded 467,857 accidental deaths in 2024, up from 444,104 in 2023. Traffic accidents accounted for 43.4% of all accidental deaths in the country. Among all states, Rajasthan ranked sixth in total accidental deaths, behind Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Experts say Jaipur's growing population, expanding outskirts, rising vehicle density and weak enforcement on highways and arterial roads are contributing heavily to the rising fatalities. The city's ring roads, highways connecting Ajmer, Delhi and Tonk, and busy urban corridors continue to witness frequent high-speed crashes. Urban planners and road safety experts have repeatedly stressed the need for urgent intervention to curb the rising number of road fatalities in Jaipur. They have called for stricter enforcement against over-speeding and reckless driving, improvement in pedestrian infrastructure such as footpaths and crossings, safer design of accident-prone junctions, strengthening of trauma care and emergency response systems, and sustained public awareness campaigns on road safety and traffic discipline....