Nagpur has claimed the title of Maharashtra's safest city for roads, recording the most significant drop in accident-related deaths across the state in 2025. Official data from the Nagpur (City) Regional Transport Office (RTO) reveals a dramatic 21% reduction in fatalities, marking a major victory for the city's sustained traffic safety initiatives.
A Year of Dramatic Improvement in Road Safety
The statistics tell a compelling story of progress. Between January and November 2024, Nagpur city reported 1,143 road accidents, which led to 316 deaths and 1,165 injuries. Fast forward to the same period in 2025, and the numbers show a clear positive trend. Accidents decreased to 1,059, while fatalities plunged to 250 and injuries fell to 1,045. This translates to a 7% drop in total accidents, a 21% fall in deaths, and a 10% reduction in injuries. Officials confirmed that no other city in Maharashtra matched this scale of improvement in saving lives on the road.
The Two-Pronged Strategy: Awareness and Strict Enforcement
Regional Transport Officer (City) Kiran Bidkar credited this achievement to a comprehensive, year-long road safety campaign. The strategy rested on two main pillars: changing public behavior and rigorous law enforcement.
A major focus was placed on educating the youth. The RTO conducted extensive road safety workshops in schools, colleges, and other institutions across Nagpur. Motor Vehicle Inspectors led sessions on traffic rules, understanding road signs, and the importance of safe driving practices.
Simultaneously, the transport department launched intense inspection drives targeting various vehicle types, including private buses, school buses, ambulances, e-rickshaws, and auto-rickshaws. Action was taken against 10,379 vehicles for breaches of the Motor Vehicles Act, resulting in fines totalling Rs 5.79 crore. A special drive focusing on school buses from April to November 2025 led to penalties against 337 buses, collecting Rs 43.84 lakh.
Community Outreach and Penalizing Dangerous Drivers
Beyond inspections, the campaign fostered a culture of safety through community engagement. Initiatives included helmet awareness rallies, distributing first-aid kits to auto-rickshaw drivers, organizing walkathons and blood donation camps, and providing counselling for school bus drivers. Educational booklets like "Traffic Classroom" were also distributed in educational institutions.
To directly tackle reckless behavior, the RTO took a firm stance by suspending 285 driving licenses for serious offences. These suspensions were for violations such as drunk driving, using mobile phones while driving, jumping traffic signals, and overloading vehicles.
RTO Kiran Bidkar stated that Nagpur's top ranking is a direct result of the combined impact of public awareness campaigns, strict enforcement, and cooperation from the community. He assured residents that these efforts will be intensified further to protect more lives on the city's roads. The coordinated work of the transport department under Bidkar and the traffic police under DCP (Traffic) Lohit Matani was pivotal in this success.
