Pune's city roads are witnessing a dual improvement: vehicles are moving faster while becoming safer. City Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar announced on Thursday that the average speed of vehicles has increased to 22 kilometres per hour, up from 19 kmph, thanks to a series of targeted interventions by the traffic police.
Targeting Black Spots and Introducing AI Signals
Commissioner Kumar revealed this positive trend during the inauguration of a road safety fortnight programme at a private college in Vimannagar. He stated that the police have mapped 110 black spots—stretches where fatal accidents repeatedly occur—and are working intensively to reduce fatalities. "Our teams are trying to reduce fatalities in road accidents and increase the speed of vehicles," Kumar said.
The commissioner expressed optimism for further progress, predicting that if efforts continue, the average traffic speed could reach 26 kmph this year. To make traffic management more effective, the police will soon roll out an AI-based signal system. "We will achieve both objectives simultaneously — increasing speed and reducing accidents," Kumar affirmed.
Sharp Decline in Accidents and Fatalities
The data presented by the police underscores a remarkable turnaround in road safety. Despite rising traffic density, fatal accidents in Pune dropped to 287 in 2025 (till December 22), down from 334 each in 2023 and 2024. Correspondingly, deaths from road accidents fell to 302 in 2025, compared to 351 in 2023 and 345 in 2024. This marks the lowest fatality count recorded in the last three years.
The improvement is most pronounced at the identified black spots. Accidents at these high-risk locations plummeted to 33 in 2025, a significant decrease from 46 in 2024 and 75 in 2023. Police attribute this success to targeted interventions, including traffic engineering measures, better signage, and focused enforcement drives.
Stringent Enforcement and Traffic Management Steps
The police have adopted a multi-pronged strategy to achieve these results. Commissioner Kumar issued a stern warning against drunk driving, revealing that strong action was taken against 7,500 drunk drivers in 2025 by registering FIRs. "If you drive after drinking alcohol, be warned — action is inevitable," he cautioned.
Other key measures that contributed to the decline in deaths include:
- Signal synchronisation across the city.
- Enforcement drives against wrong-side driving.
- Restrictions on heavy vehicle entry during peak hours.
- Introduction of one-way vehicular movement in Vimannagar.
- Making Nagar Road signal-free.
Police are also continuously using an online traffic monitoring system to address jams without delay. The top five black spots with the highest number of serious accidents were identified as the area in front of Hadapsar police station, Katraj Chowk, Warje flyover on the bypass, Solapur road near Kirloskar Pneumatics, and Perne Phata on the Pune-Nagar highway.
