State sees 7% rise in accidents and fatalities this Q1 over last Q1

Panaji: In the first quarter of the year, there has been a 7% rise in fatalities and accidents compared to the corresponding period of 2025.

For March, 638 accidents were reported in the state, as against 596 cases reported last March, an increase by 42 cases. Fatalities, meanwhile, increased by four, with 63 this March compared to 59 last March.

A total of 60 fatal accidents were reported till March 2026, a slight increase from the 58 reported till March 2025.

A fatal road accident refers to a road traffic incident resulting in death, while road deaths quantify the number of fatalities arising from these accidents.

The increase in fatal road accidents has been attributed to a rise in traffic movement due to the tourist season. This is also linked to govt’s decision to reduce enforcement by withdrawing police personnel tasked with issuing challans for traffic violations.

Even as Goa police set a target to reduce road fatalities by 20% in 2025, they managed to bring down fatal accidents and deaths by over 5% compared to 2024.

According to traffic cell data, 257 fatal accidents were reported in 2025, down from 271 in 2024. Similarly, 269 people died in road accidents in 2025, compared to 287 in the previous year.

Goa’s rural areas accounted for three times the number of fatal accidents as compared to urban areas, as per the traffic police’s accident analysis for 2025. A total of 215 people died in accidents in rural areas, compared to 58 in urban areas.

Most fatal accidents — 247 — took place during clear and sunny skies, the analysis reveals.

Most of these accidents were due to over-speeding, the analysis said.

The traffic cell appealed to the people of Goa to wear helmets. Drivers should wear seat belts, including co-passengers. People should follow traffic rules and avoid mixing drinking and driving, it said.