Jammu, February 23, 2026 : The Jammu and Kashmir government has recorded a 13.6% decline in road accidents over the past three years, with incidents reducing from 6,120 in 2023 to 5,287 in 2025, officials said on Monday.
According to official data, accidents fell to 5,726 in 2024 before dropping further in 2025. The sustained decline has been attributed to stronger enforcement, large-scale road safety awareness drives, and institutional strengthening of safety mechanisms across the Union Territory.
During 2024 and 2025, the government conducted over 10,000 awareness programmes annually, alongside health and eye check-ups for drivers and first-aid training. The implementation of the Good Samaritan Scheme and the Road Accident Victim Fund (RAVF) enabled cashless treatment for accident victims.
Traffic enforcement has fully transitioned to the e-challan system. In 2024, authorities issued 40,197 e-challans, seized 429 vehicles, and suspended 2,259 driving licences. Enforcement intensified in 2025, with 52,543 e-challans, 1,528 vehicle seizures, and 1,641 licence suspensions. Additionally, 10,439 vehicles were blacklisted and 1,192 registration certificates cancelled last year.
Preventive audits were expanded, including checks of 4,545 registered school buses in 2025. Of these, 472 were found defective, with 450 rectifying deficiencies after notices. Inspections of 102 driving training schools found 81 compliant, while 21 were served notices. Speed-limiting devices are also being verified during vehicle fitness certification.
The Road Safety Policy, first notified in 2016, was revised in 2025 in line with national standards on the recommendations of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety. To enhance enforcement capacity, the government procured motorcycles, mobile interceptors, highway patrol vehicles, cranes, body-worn cameras and breath analysers through the Road Safety Fund.
The Legal Metrology Department inspected 218 helmet sellers, booked 69 cases, and seized 4,750 substandard helmets to ensure compliance with BIS norms.
Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS) are operational in Jammu and Srinagar under the Smart City Mission. A ₹107.32-crore project covering 25 junctions and 188 corridors has been planned for the rest of the UT, while road safety audits have been made mandatory for new road projects.
Compensation under RAVF remains ₹1 lakh for death, ₹75,000 for permanent disability, ₹50,000 for grievous injury, and ₹10,000 for minor injury.
The Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation continues to serve remote and interstate routes. While proposals for e-bus services from Jammu to Patnitop and Sudhmahadev–Mantalai exist, officials said these are currently not feasible due to limited charging infrastructure beyond Udhampur. JKRTC presently operates 20 electric buses on city routes, with a proposal underway to procure 200 more e-buses under the PM e-Drive scheme.
