Jaipur, July 24 : At first glance, the numbers appear encouraging. Road accidents in Jaipur fell in 2025 compared with the previous year. But behind the decline lies a disturbing reality that more people are dying on the city's roads than before. Numbers prove that crash severity, not frequency is emerging as Rajasthan's biggest road safety challenge.

The statistics tell a story that goes beyond accident counts. While collisions have reduced, those that do occur are increasingly proving fatal, raising serious questions about speeding, highway safety, emergency response, and road-user behaviour.

In 2025, Jaipur reported 3,664 road accidents, about 10 crashes every day. Yet these crashes claimed 1,273 lives, averaging nearly three to four deaths daily.

Compared with 2024, accidents declined by 5.6 per cent, but fatalities increased by 3.1 per cent, pushing the fatality rate to 34.7 deaths for every 100 accidents, the highest recorded in the past five years.

The figures, compiled from the Jaipur East, West, North, South and Rural police districts, indicate that while roads are witnessing fewer collisions, the impact of each crash is becoming far more severe. The trend is reflected in a series of recent tragedies.

Earlier this week, four members of a family waiting near a bus stop on the Jaipurâ??Ajmer Highway were killed after a speeding trailer crashed through a roadside barrier and ran them over.

Just a day later, a young woman riding a motorcycle died after colliding with a heavy vehicle.

Days before that, two people lost their lives when their car rammed into a container truck on the same highway.

These incidents are not isolated accidents. Together, they illustrate a broader pattern of high-speed crashes involving heavy vehicles, particularly on highways where the consequences of even a single mistake are often fatal.

Road accident statistics over the last five years reveal an interesting shift. Jaipur recorded 3,205 accidents and 1,106 deaths in 2021.

The numbers climbed sharply in 2022, when accidents reached 3,935 and fatalities peaked at 1,327.

Since then, accidents have steadily declined to 3,893 in 2023, 3,881 in 2024, and 3,664 in 2025. Deaths, however, have not followed the same trajectory.

Although fatalities fell after the 2022 peak, they have remained above 1,200 annually for the third consecutive year.

The increase to 1,273 deaths in 2025 despite fewer accidents suggests that crash severity, not crash frequency, is emerging as Rajasthan's biggest road safety challenge.

Among Jaipur's police districts, Jaipur Rural emerged as the most vulnerable, recording 805 accidents and 426 deaths â?? accounting for roughly one in every three road fatalities in the Jaipur region.

It was also the only district where accidents increased compared with the previous year.

Jaipur East recorded the highest number of accidents at 1,011, followed by Jaipur West with 964. In contrast, Jaipur South showed the most significant improvement, with accidents declining from 783 to 666 and fatalities falling from 216 to 184.

Jaipur North registered the fewest accidents (218), but deaths still rose from 58 to 71, highlighting that even areas with fewer crashes are witnessing more severe outcomes.

According to Traffic SP, Yogesh Goyal, Jaipur is strengthening traffic management by deploying more personnel, installing additional traffic signals, and expanding IT-enabled enforcement. However, he believes the larger challenge lies outside the city.

"The bigger challenge lies in rural areas, where traffic management infrastructure is limited and compliance with traffic rules remains poor. Along with stricter enforcement, we need behavioural change among drivers and pedestrians," he said.

His observation highlights a growing concern among road safety experts: Enforcement alone cannot prevent fatal crashes if excessive speed, risky overtaking, distracted driving, and poor compliance continue.

Recognising the growing concern, Rajasthan Police launched a statewide special traffic enforcement campaign from July 2 to July 16, 2026, under the directions of DGP Rajiv Kumar Sharma and the supervision of DGP (Traffic) Anil Paliwal.

According to Additional Director General of Police (Traffic), Dr. B.L. Meena, the campaign focussed on reducing accidents, promoting helmet use, and improving compliance on national and state highways. Public awareness messages such as "No travel without a helmet" are being promoted, with emphasis on the use of ISI-certified helmets.

The enforcement has been extensive. During the first five days of the campaign (July 2â??6), police issued 97,954 challans under the Motor Vehicles Act. On July 6 alone, action was taken against 19,901 motorists, including 8,447 helmet violators, 5,019 overspeeding drivers, 3,369 vehicles parked illegally, and 3,066 motorists violating lane discipline.

Police say the campaign was intended not merely to impose penalties but to encourage safer road behaviour. The 2025 figures present a sobering lesson. A decline in accidents does not automatically translate into safer roads.

When more people die despite fewer crashes, the focus must shift from simply reducing accident numbers to reducing crash severity.

For Rajasthan, the challenge now extends beyond stricter policing. Safer highways, better engineering, improved trauma response, stronger enforcement against speeding, and lasting behavioural change among road users will be crucial if the state is to reverse the rising toll of fatal road accidents.

Until then, every reduction in accident numbers will continue to be overshadowed by the growing number of lives lost on the road.

/IANS