Pune, Dec. 27 -- The state recorded a marginal rise in road accidents in 2025 compared to last year, even as the number of fatalities showed a slight decline, official data from the transport department shows. Between January and November, the state reported 33,002 road accidents, up by 218 cases, or 0.66%, from 32,784 accidents during the same period in 2024. In contrast, deaths due to road accidents fell from 14,185 last year to 14,066 this year, a reduction of 0.83%. Officials said despite the dip in fatalities, over 14,000 deaths in just 11 months underline the scale of the problem. The transport department said special round-the-clock enforcement drives are being carried out on accident-prone stretches such as the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Mumbai-Bengaluru National Highway. "Action is being taken against violators through the integrated traffic management system. Helmet enforcement will be intensified further," Vivek Bhimanwar, state transport commissioner said. "The state has set a target of reducing road accidents by 50% by 2030," he added. The impact of sustained enforcement is most visible on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. From January to November 2024, the stretch recorded 82 deaths due to accidents. In the corresponding period this year, fatalities dropped to 61, a decline of 21 deaths or nearly 26%. The number of accidents on the expressway also fell from 66 to 54, officials said. Several districts have reported improvements as well. Nagpur city saw a 21% reduction in accident-related deaths, followed by Palghar at 20%, Amravati at 17%, Pune at 15%, Dhule at 14% and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar at 12%....