CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Police said that the state has recorded 15 per cent drop in fatalities in the first quarter of 2025, with 4136 deaths in the first three months as against 4864 deaths in the corresponding period in 2024.
Police said that transformative measures such as focus on preventive enforcement, swift emergency response, and public awareness to improve traffic flow and enhance road safety were implemented, which resulted in a 15 % reduction in fatal accidents, which the police claim to be a record of sorts.
According to an official release, "The state has recorded its lowest number of road fatalities in a decade (excluding pandemic years)."
This is as a result of the key measures implemented, such as 24/7 highway patrol for faster emergency response, engineering improvements such as safer U-turns and signage.
In the first quarter, 38.4 lakh traffic violation cases were booked, which includes 62,523 for over-speeding, 83,783 for red light jumping, 1.13 lakh for mobile phone use while driving, 59,084 for drunk driving, 16.56 lakh for helmet non-compliance, and 1.48 lakh cases for not wearing seat belts.
As many as 2,551 accident victims have been rescued in the golden hour, police said, and police have recommended the suspension of 1.1 lakh driving licenses.
Strict enforcement of traffic laws has also led to the suspension of over 27 thousand driving licenses, police said.
Apart from enforcement, road safety programs were conducted in schools, colleges, bus stands, and other public venues regularly, police said.