MAPUSA
More than half of the fatal road crashes recorded in Goa this year are concentrated in just eight police station jurisdictions, pointing to a pattern of persistent accident-prone corridors that could warrant targeted road-safety interventions.
Data submitted by the Public Works Department (PWD) shows 142 fatal accident cases up to July 31, 2026 of its police station-wise accident statement.
Of these, 79 were recorded in Ponda, Agacaim, Verna, Old Goa, Cuncolim, Canacona, Anjuna and Colvale alone – accounting for more than 54 per cent of the fatal cases listed.
Ponda tops the State with 13 fatal accidents, followed by Agacaim with 11, while Verna and Old Goa have 10 each. Cuncolim, Canacona and Anjuna have recorded nine fatal accidents each, while Colvale has eight.
The concentration becomes more significant when the locations of the crashes are examined. The fatalities are not confined to isolated points but are spread across several stretches of major roads, highway corridors, junctions, bridges and approaches carrying heavy and mixed traffic.
In Ponda, fatal crashes have been reported at locations including Usgao, Borim and Dharbandora, with several incidents occurring on or around NH-748. The entries include crashes near Tisk-Usgao, Khandepar, Petake-Dharbandora and Borim.
Agacaim, which has the second-highest number of fatal cases, too shows a concentration along major traffic corridors. Fatal crashes have been reported around Bambolim, Goa Velha, NH-66, the Goa Velha junction and the new Zuari Bridge.
The Verna jurisdiction has recorded 10 fatal accidents, with crashes spread across Sancoale, Zuarinagar, Cortalim, Cuelim, Cansaulim and the Verna industrial area.
Old Goa, with an equal number of fatalities, has reported crashes around the Kadamba bypass, Karmali, Cumbharjua, Merces Junction and other stretches of the Old Goa-Tiswadi corridor.
In the south, Cuncolim and Canacona have emerged as particularly significant hotspots, with nine fatal cases each. Canacona's cases are spread across Talpona, Agonda, Khola, Rajbag, Mashem, Bhatpal and Patnem, indicating that the problem extends across several stretches of the coastal highway and adjoining roads rather than being confined to one location.
In North Goa, Anjuna which is a tourist hotspot and Colvale also stand out. Fatal crashes in the Anjuna jurisdiction have been reported around Arpora, Anjuna, Assagao, Siolim and adjoining areas, while Colvale has recorded fatalities around Tivim, Revora and NH-66.
The data therefore presents a picture of corridor-level risk rather than simply individual black spots. Several of the jurisdictions with the highest fatality counts contain major highways, junctions, bridges, flyovers, industrial or commercial activity and significant movement of local as well as tourist traffic.
Hotspots demand
targeted intervention
The geographical concentration of fatalities raises a more pointed question: whether road-safety measures are being sufficiently targeted at locations and corridors where fatal crashes repeatedly occur.
Instead of treating each accident as an isolated incident, the PWD and traffic authorities could use the police station-wise data to identify recurring high-risk stretches and examine factors such as road design, junction geometry, lighting, pedestrian movement, speeding, visibility, merging traffic and enforcement.
The fact that eight police station jurisdictions account for more than half of the fatal cases suggests that a focused intervention in these corridors could potentially have a greater impact than a uniform State-wide approach.
The data also shows the importance of looking beyond the traditional definition of a 'black spot'. In several jurisdictions, fatalities are distributed across multiple locations along the same road corridor, indicating that the underlying risk may be associated with the design and traffic characteristics of an entire stretch.
The broader trend is unmistakable: fatal crashes remain heavily concentrated in a relatively small number of road corridors and police station jurisdictions, while Goa's overall fatality levels remain stubbornly high.
