The state of Telangana has set a ‘Zero Fatalities’ target for road safety and has begun mapping high‑risk areas in seven key districts. In a video conference on Wednesday, Director General of Police C.V. Anand reviewed a plan that identifies 48 critical accident corridors, 230 Priority‑1 zones, 220 traffic‑violation hotspots and 183 pedestrian‑danger zones across Medchal‑Malkajgiri, Ranga Reddy, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Sangareddy, Hanamkonda, Warangal and Jangaon.
The mapping exercise revealed that Sangareddy hosts the most critical corridors at 14, while Ranga Reddy contains 98 priority accident zones, 99 traffic‑violation hotspots and 66 pedestrian accident zones. Priority zones are defined as locations where four or more fatalities have been recorded. The data, drawn from e‑DAR statistics for 2024 and 2025, were compiled by the SafeLife Foundation to guide district‑specific action plans.
Anand stressed that authorities must move beyond treating crashes as isolated incidents and instead study patterns in location, timing, road design and engineering defects. He outlined a ‘4E’ strategy—Education, Engineering, Enforcement and Emergency Support—to address road defects, intensify enforcement and ensure injured victims receive immediate care. Telangana records more than 7,000 road‑accident deaths annually, ranking seventh in the country, where 175,000 fatalities are recorded each year.
To support the plan, officials have been instructed to record every crash through an Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e‑DAR) and upload data on fatalities, injuries, causes, accident‑prone stretches and peak timing to the ‘Margadarshak’ portal. Geo‑tagged photographs of crash sites can also be uploaded. The state is also preparing a Road Safety Management Bureau under the Police Department, with a government order expected soon. The seven districts must present their action plans to the Chief Secretary and DGP in Chennai by November 3, the immediate deadline for the initiative.
