Nagpur: Nagpur Rural Police have emerged as one of Maharashtra’s best-performing districts in road safety, securing the second position in the state for the highest reduction in road accidents during the January-June 2026 period.

Official data revealed a substantial decline in road accidents, fatalities and injuries compared to the corresponding period in 2025. Between January and June 2026, road accident fatalities decreased by 23 per cent, while the number of injured victims dropped by 11 per cent. The overall number of road accidents also declined by 18 per cent, reflecting the impact of sustained enforcement and preventive measures.

The achievement is significant as Nagpur district is among India’s top 100 high-priority districts for road accidents. To address the issue, authorities have been implementing the Zero Fatality District (ZFD) initiative with technical support from the SaveLife Foundation.

The programme is being carried out under the guidance of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, with regular monitoring by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule.

Under the leadership of Superintendent of Police Harsh A. Poddar, Nagpur Rural Police have adopted a scientific, data-driven road safety strategy focusing on identifying accident-prone stretches, strengthening traffic enforcement, and creating public awareness to minimise crashes.

The district’s performance improved further in June 2026. Compared to June 2025, road accident deaths fell by 45 per cent, injuries declined by 14 per cent, and the overall number of accidents reduced by 33 per cent.

Police officials attributed the remarkable improvement to coordinated enforcement, detailed analysis of black spots, and the continued implementation of the Zero Fatality District initiative, which integrates engineering improvements, strict enforcement, public education and enhanced emergency response to reduce road crash fatalities.