Panaji: The state saw a slight drop in deaths due to road accidents and fatal accidents in April. Fatal accidents fell by 4% and the number of persons killed in road accidents dropped by 7%, according to the traffic cell of Goa police.Up to April-end, 851 accidents were reported in the state, as against 797 cases reported the previous year, an increase by 54 cases. Fatal accidents, meanwhile, increased by one, with 85 up to April-end compared to last year.A total of 23 fatal accidents were reported in April 2026, a slight decrease from the 24 reported till the same month of last year.A fatal road accident refers to a road traffic accident 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.Around 95% of all accidents reported in Goa in the first three months of this year were due to rash and negligent driving, according to analysis by Goa police’s traffic cell. The analysis also stated that 43% of the accidents were on national highways, 80% on straight roads and 15% on curved roads.A total of 25% of the reported road accidents were on weekends.A senior police officer said that crashes involving four-wheelers accounted for over 40% of accidents, followed by those involving two-wheelers with 44%.Traffic cell analysis said that the maximum number of road users who were killed were motorcyclists, 47 (74%), and most accidents occurred between 3 pm and 4 pm.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.Primarily, the traffic cell appealed to two-wheeler riders of Goa to wear helmets while riding as a precautionary measure. The cell also urged drivers and passengers to wear seat belts and has appealed people to follow traffic rules and avoid drinking and driving.
