NT Reporter
Panaji
Road accidents claimed the lives of 117 people in Goa during the first five months of 2025 — a 21% drop compared to the same period in 2024. However, two-wheeler riders continue to account for the majority of fatalities at nearly 60%.
According to official road accident statistics from January to May, 70 of the 117 people killed were riders, while 15 were pillion riders, three were drivers, 23 pedestrians, four passengers, and two others. No cyclist fatalities were reported this year.
In comparison, during the same period in 2024, 148 fatalities were reported. These included 86 riders, 21 pillion riders, nine drivers, 18 pedestrians, nine passengers, four cyclists, and one from the ‘others’ category.
A senior police officer said that nearly 60% of those killed were two-wheeler riders, and many of them died from head injuries due to not wearing helmets. Rash and negligent riding or driving remains the leading cause of road accidents, the officer said, while poor road conditions are also being cited as a contributing factor.
To reduce accidents and fatalities, the police are carrying out strict enforcement of traffic laws. Special drives are being conducted against drunken driving, riding without helmets or licences, rash driving, and overspeeding, in addition to regular enforcement.
Director General of Police (DGP) Alok Kumar recently said that the police were focusing on “quality prosecution”, which he said has a direct impact on reducing road accident fatalities. “Since last year, the focus has been on drunken driving/riding, over-speeding, riding without a helmet, or any other violations due to which accidents can occur,” he said.
Interestingly, traffic violation cases in May 2025 dropped by over 88% compared to May 2024. Officials attribute the steep fall to the April decision by the state government allowing only police inspectors (PIs) and sub-inspectors (PSIs) to issue challans.
In May, 42,355 traffic violation cases were booked, while in May the number plummeted to 4,978. A similar trend was seen in April.
