Kolkata’s 2025 road safety review identifies four-wheelers as the largest reported contributor to accident victims, even as the city recorded fewer fatalities than in the previous two years. The findings, released by Kolkata Police commissioner Ajay Nand at Lalbazar, also show that overall injuries increased sharply and pedestrians continued to account for a large share of deaths.
According to the traffic review, 486 of the city’s 1,984 road accident victims in 2025 were involved in crashes involving four-wheelers. That represented about 24.5% of all victims. Two-wheelers accounted for 458 victims, or 23%, while buses were linked to 261 victims, or 13%.
The report marked a shift from recent patterns, with police noting that bus accidents declined while crashes involving cars and two-wheelers increased. The figures cover both fatal and non-fatal accident victims, making them an indicator of the wider burden on Kolkata’s roads rather than only deaths.
The supplied report states that Kolkata recorded 154 fatal accident deaths in 2025, compared with 191 in 2024 and 159 in 2023. It also records a long-term decline from 294 fatalities in 2018 and 185 in 2022. However, another passage in the same report refers to 159 people dying in fatal accidents in 2025. That discrepancy needs clarification from Kolkata Police before the fatality figure can be treated as confirmed.
The fall in reported fatalities was accompanied by a rise in injuries. The review recorded 1,984 injuries in 2025, up from 1,724 in 2024 and 1,754 in 2023. Pedestrians remained particularly vulnerable: the report says 79 of those who died in fatal accidents were pedestrians, compared with 72 pedestrian deaths in 2023.
September was identified as the deadliest month, with 18 deaths and 171 non-fatal injuries. The month coincides with the start of Kolkata’s festive season and an increase in visitors from outside the city, according to the report. August recorded five deaths and 183 injuries, while March had the lowest reported fatality count at 10 and 130 non-fatal accidents.
The timing of crashes also points to risks across both daytime and evening travel. The highest number of fatalities was reported between 10am and 11am, when eight people died and 113 non-fatal injuries were recorded. Between 9pm and 10pm, 12 people died and 78 non-fatal accidents were reported. The 9am to 10am period recorded 10 deaths and 108 non-fatal accidents.
Several major roads repeatedly appeared among the city’s most accident-prone locations. Diamond Harbour Road, Basanti Highway, Strand Road and CGR Road were identified among the top six fatal accident-prone zones. The report links the pattern partly to roads with significant access for buses and trucks, highlighting the interaction between heavy vehicles, commuter traffic and pedestrian movement.
Enforcement data shows that police booked 26,785 two-wheeler riders for rash riding, along with 7,476 private car drivers and 5,814 bus drivers. Fifty-seven ambulance drivers were also booked for rough driving. DCP (traffic) Sambhav Jain said the data would help police assess the previous year and plan improvements, adding that measures implemented since 2025 were already showing results in 2026. Kolkata Police’s clarification of the conflicting fatality figures remains necessary for a definitive reading of the city’s 2025 road safety performance.
