Bhubaneswar: Road accidents claimed the lives of 6,483 people in Odisha in 2025, marking a 5.6% increase from 6,142 deaths reported in 2024, according to state police statistics. The number of accidents rose by 3.3%, from 12,375 to 12,782.While 14 districts reported a drop in accidents, nine districts — Angul, Balasore, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Kendrapada, and Sambalpur — recorded a decline in fatalities. Of these, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kandhamal, Kendrapada, and Sambalpur saw simultaneous reductions in both accidents and deaths. In contrast, several districts witnessed increases in both, while some reported fewer accidents but higher fatality rates.Boudh registered the sharpest rise in deaths at 41% (from 66 to 93), followed by Malkangiri at 28.7% (from 101 to 130), Sonepur at 22.7% (from 66 to 81) and Rayagada at 22% (from 123 to 150).Officials noted that the fatality growth rate in 2025 was 2% lower than the 7% rise recorded in 2024 compared to 2023. They attributed the increase partly to a surge in vehicle registrations, which rose from 7.9 lakh in 2024 to 8.8 lakh in 2025.A senior transport department official highlighted the impact of enforcement measures: “Stringent drives helped reduce accidents and deaths in several districts. The ‘Zero Fatality Fortnight’ campaign held from Nov 16-30 last year achieved a 33.5% reduction in road accident deaths.” District collectors and SPs have been directed to prepare road safety plans.However, road safety expert Chinmay Rath criticised the department’s efforts. “Despite reforms, enforcement drives and awareness campaigns, fatalities continue to rise. Even the MoU signed with IIT Madras in Dec 2024 has yet to show tangible results,” he said.The transport department iterated its commitment, noting that IIT Madras has developed new strategies, including the ‘Zero Accident Day’ campaign with an aim to sensitise behavioural change. In Jan this year, the institute launched an advanced road safety dashboard to enable citizens to report issues such as poor road conditions or missing signage. The platform also equips senior officers with analytics to identify accident hotspots and monitor performance.“Unlike social media complaints, this integrated dashboard ensures grievances are tracked and acted upon, with accountability at the highest levels,” the official added.The transport department stressed that road safety is a shared responsibility. “The govt has been making serious efforts to improve road safety across the state. Each one of us must drive carefully and responsibly to protect our own lives and those of fellow road users,” said transport commissioner Amitabh Thakur.
