‘Operation U-Turn' Cuts Road Deaths by 62.5% in Nagpur
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Nagpur: In a major boost to road safety, Nagpur Police's recently launched 'Operation U-Turn' has led to a dramatic 62.5% drop in road accident deaths in July 2025 compared to the same month last year.
The operation, aimed primarily at curbing drunk driving and other dangerous road behaviours, was launched on July 10 and has been active for just 21 days.
Under the leadership of CP Ravinder Singal and DCP (Traffic) Lohit Matani, more than 2,500 motorists and bikers were pulled up during late evening drives. Police said the targeted enforcement, especially between 6pm and midnight, proved critical in cutting down both fatalities and serious injuries on city roads.
According to data compiled by the traffic branch's accident cell, fatal accidents dropped from 40 in July 2024 to 15 this year, while the number of serious injuries reduced from 13 to just 2 — an 84.6% reduction. Senior officials said the most significant factor behind the fall was the crackdown on drunken driving, along with enforcement of helmet rules and action against wrong-side driving.
"Checkpoints were set up across the city to monitor violations, especially in high-risk areas and during peak accident hours," said CP Singal.
"Heavy fines and legal action were taken against offenders. But Operation U-Turn is not just about enforcement — it's about building a culture of road safety. The encouraging results also reflect citizen cooperation."
Jt CP Navinchandra Reddy, who is also overseeing the drive, added that "data-driven policing and focused enforcement" were the keys to success. "Community engagement also played a big role," he said.
To complement enforcement, the police also conducted public awareness campaigns, including outreach programmes to educate citizens on the importance of wearing helmets, obeying signals, and not driving under the influence.
Launched as a response to the city's growing accident toll, the drive is now being seen as a model for targeted road safety campaigns. Nagpur Police said it plans to sustain the momentum by expanding the operation and introducing AI-based traffic monitoring systems to improve surveillance and compliance.
"Dangerous driving behaviours won't be tolerated, and we'll continue to take strict action," said DCP Matani, adding that efforts would continue until road deaths are significantly reduced.
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