Nagpur: Director General of Police (DGP), Sadanand Date, aims to bring down fatalities in road accidents by 10% across the state. Date held a review meeting with the Nagpur City Police Traffic Wing to understand the strategy that led to 25% drop in road fatalities in the city in 2025, said officials. Date was recently in the city to attend the 69th All India Police Duty Meet. During a two-and-a-half-hour meeting on Sunday, he interacted with deputy commissioner of police (Traffic) Lohit Matani, traffic constables, senior officers, and grass roots personnel. “Despite challenges like nearly a thousand defunct CCTVs, lack of AI features to detect red-light jumping or number-plate violations, Nagpur’s traffic team has delivered impressive results,” said an official.Under Operation U-Turn, launched under CP Ravinder Singal, the traffic police force cracked down on drunk driving, violations by heavy vehicles, and other serious traffic offences. “This brought down number of deaths from around 345 in 2024 to 259 last year. Early 2026 data shows the fatality rate is going down further, proving the strategy is sustainable,” said the official.Date reviewed the traffic wing’s proactive staffing, frequent checkpoints, and quick fixes at accident black spots. He suggested hiring private agencies for faster road corrections at accident ‘black spots’ using DPDC funds and pushing multi-agency coordination for better budget flow.The DGP stressed that delays in implementing post-accident improvements, like road markings, street lights, and dividers often cause repeat crashes. “Time is critical,” he noted, urging immediate steps to stop accidents. He called for tech integration and stronger awareness to sustain the momentum.
