PANAJI
The early weeks of 2026 have delivered a familiar and uneasy message from Goa’s roads -- fewer severe crashes on paper, but deaths that continue with grim regularity. Official traffic data for the year so far shows only a marginal decline in fatal accidents and grievous injuries compared with the same period last year, even as overall accidents have risen and deadly crashes continue to punctuate the calendar.
As per the official statistics available with The Goan, 223 road accidents have been reported in Goa so far in 2026, up from 206 during the corresponding period last year.
Fatal accidents dipped slightly to 17 from 18, while the number of deaths fell to 17 from 19. Grievous accidents showed a sharper decline, dropping to 25 cases from 48, with the number of people grievously injured nearly halving from 57 to 29.
At the same time, less serious crashes are becoming more frequent. Minor accidents rose to 71 from 60, and the number of people with minor injuries increased to 86 from 66. Non-injury accidents climbed steeply as well, from 80 last year to 110 this year, pushing up the overall accident count despite improvements in some severe categories.
Behind these statistics lie lives abruptly cut short. At the start of the month, a 25-year-old motorcyclist, Sarvesh Borkar of Guddemol, was killed in a self-accident on the Zuari flyover. Police said Borkar lost control of his motorcycle at a sharp turn near the Toyota showroom while travelling towards Panaji around 7.20 pm. He died on the spot.
Just days earlier, January 29 proved particularly deadly when four people were killed in three separate accidents across the State and borders. On the Goa-Karnataka national highway near Astoli, Ramnagar, a car collision claimed the lives of siblings Rudrayya Shivannavar, 77, and Renuka Hiremath, 60. Shivannavar died on the spot, while Hiremath succumbed to her injuries later at a hospital. Two other family members were seriously injured and shifted to Belagavi for treatment. The family, originally from Hubballi and recently settled in Ponda, was returning from a short trip when the crash occurred.
On the same day, a 28-year-old scooterist, Ulhas Gaonkar of Panzorconi, was hit by a speeding car on the Margao–Cuncolim stretch of National Highway 66. Police said he was crossing the road when the vehicle hit his scooter and dragged it for some distance. Gaonkar suffered critical head injuries and died while being taken to the South Goa district hospital.
Even the New Year opened on a sombre note. While traffic police recorded eight accidents across Goa on January 1, 2026 -- down from 12 on the same day last year -- one person was killed. Melari Ningappa Bewawadar, 28, a motorcyclist from Karnataka, died in a self-accident on the Manohar Parrikar bypass in Canacona after allegedly losing control and crashing into a road divider. His motorcycle was dragged nearly 20 metres by the force of the impact.
Statewide data for 2025 showed total accidents falling to 2,370 from 2,682 in 2024. Fatal accidents and deaths declined, but grievous accidents rose sharply from 198 to 237, with the number of seriously injured increasing to 293. Minor accidents remained largely unchanged, though minor injuries increased, while non-injury accidents dropped sharply.
