Maharashtra Records Nearly 1 lakh Road Deaths In 6 Years: Data Reveals

Maharashtra has recorded a staggering 95,722 road deaths between January 2019 and September 2025, highlighting an unrelenting safety crisis on the state’s highways and urban roads. Fresh data from the Maharashtra transport department shows little improvement in accident trends despite repeated crackdowns and awareness measures.

The state logged 26,922 accidents and 11,532 fatalities in the first nine months of this year. This is marginally higher in accidents and only slightly lower in deaths compared to the same period last year, which recorded 26,719 crashes and 11,573 fatalities.

Officials say the pattern reflects longstanding issues of weak enforcement, reckless driving, inadequate driver training and heavy vehicle overloading, all of which continue to fuel India’s high road fatality rate.

Six years of grim numbers

Between January 2019 and September 2025, Maharashtra saw 2,19,039 accidents. These crashes not only claimed nearly one lakh lives but also left 1,29,670 people seriously injured and 53,036 with minor injuries. Except for 2020, when pandemic restrictions drastically reduced vehicular movement, the state has seen a steady rise in both accidents and deaths.

Last year alone reported 15,715 fatalities in 36,118 crashes. This year’s tally, with three months still left, stands at 11,532 deaths in 26,922 crashes.

The latest major accident occurred on Thursday evening on the Mumbai Bengaluru highway in Pune, where eight people were killed and fourteen injured after a car was crushed between two large container trucks, triggering a massive blaze.

District wise spikes raise concern

Transport data shows worrying surges across several districts. Washim recorded a 37 per cent rise in accidents, followed by Dharashiv at 27 per cent, Solapur city at 26 per cent and Sangli at 25 per cent. Fatalities soared even more sharply, with Buldhana leading a 59 per cent jump. Sangli, Solapur city, Latur, Bhandara, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar rural and Amravati also reported significant increases.

Mumbai witnessed the highest number of accidents at 1,878 between January and September, while Nashik Rural topped the fatality list with 656 deaths.