LUCKNOW, Jan. 24 -- Road accidents claimed 27,205 lives in Uttar Pradesh in 2025, an increase of 3,087 deaths or 12.8% over 2024, marking the sharpest annual rise in recent years and dealing a blow to the state's goal of halving road crash fatalities by 2030. Official data scooped by Hindustan Times from the transport department show that from January 2025 to December 2025, a total of 50,769 road accidents were reported - 4,717 more than in 2024 - while 38,869 people were injured, an increase of 4,202 or 12.1%. When contacted, minister of state for transport (independent charge) Daya Shankar Singh said he was yet to receive and see the road accident report for 2025. "However, there is no doubt that an increasing number of road accidents and resultant deaths in UP is a cause of concern for all of us. The government is taking all possible measures and working with a multidisciplinary approach to achieve the goal of curtailing road accident deaths by 50% by 2030," he said. An analysis of the district-wise data shows that the highest death toll was reported from Agra (748), followed by Prayagraj (739), Mathura (698), Hardoi (669) and Lucknow (660). Notably, the state capital with relatively superior road infrastructure and trauma facilities recorded 84 more deaths - a 14.6% rise - higher than the state average of 12.8%. Lucknow reported 1,714 accidents in 2025, the highest among all the districts and up by 84, while 1,206 people were injured - 41 more than in the previous year. Prayagraj reported the second-highest number of mishaps after Lucknow, followed by Kanpur Nagar, Agra and Gautam Buddha Nagar. In percentage terms, Pilibhit topped the list with a 39.6% rise in fatalities, followed by Mainpuri (37.6%), Mahoba (36.7%), Sant Kabir Nagar (36.4%) and Bhadohi (36.1%). Even Prayagraj, already among the worst-hit in absolute numbers, recorded a steep 35.1% rise in deaths. Only eight districts recorded a decline in fatalities, ranging from a marginal 0.8% fall in Badaun to a steep 19.2% drop in Bareilly, while Amroha reported no change. The trend lends weight to chief minister Yogi Adityanath's recent observation that road accidents now kill more people every year in UP than Covid-19 did over three years, turning road safety into one of the state's gravest public health challenges. The 12.8% rise in road accident deaths in 2025 is believed to be the highest in the recent past. By comparison, fatalities rose by 2% in 2024 over 2023 and by 4.7% in 2023 over 2022. Road safety experts warn that without district-specific accountability, stricter enforcement and faster emergency response, the 2030 vision may remain aspirational. "To reduce the number of road accident deaths, UP needs to expand its emergency response trauma care network on highways," former additional transport commissioner (road safety) PS Satyarthi said....