Mysuru: Mysuru’s roads are turning increasingly dangerous, with the city alone witnessing 4,508 accidents in the past five years, claiming 801 lives and leaving 4,606 injured.

In 2025, Mysuru district reported 1,216 accidents, leading to 258 fatalities and 1,485 injuries, making it one of the worst-hit regions in the State.

Other districts in the region have fared no better: Hassan: 1,091 accidents, 250 deaths, 1,119 injuries; Kodagu: 269 accidents, 32 deaths, 341 injuries; Mandya: 1,103 accidents, 229 deaths, 1,392 injuries and Chamarajanagar: 425 accidents, 107 deaths, 658 injuries.

Together, Mysuru and Hassan districts alone accounted for 372 deaths in 2025, painting a grim picture of road safety in southern Karnataka.

At the State level, the tragedy is even more staggering. Between 2020 and June 2025, Karnataka’s 30 districts reported 2,13,192 road accidents, resulting in 60,115 deaths and thousands more maimed and injured.

In 2025 alone, there were 17,808 accidents across the State, claiming 5,211 lives and injuring 23,281 people, according to the Member Secretary and Additional Commissioner of the Karnataka State Road Safety Authority. Despite repeated safety campaigns, the number of accidents continues to climb year after year, underscoring Karnataka’s deepening road safety crisis.

Black spots in Mysuru

Adding to the concern, Mysuru city has nearly a dozen identified black spots — zones so dangerous that even a moment’s lapse can turn fatal. A location is officially classified as a black spot if, within a 500-meter stretch over three years, 3 to 5 people die or 5 to 10 sustain injuries.

While Traffic Police have put up warning boards at these accident-prone areas, the risks remain high. Jurisdictions under V.V. Puram, Krishnaraja, Siddarthanagar, Narasimharaja and Kuvempunagar Police Stations continue to be plagued by hazardous potholes and poor road conditions, worsening the dangers for motorists.

Despite countless statistics, black spot identification and awareness drives, Karnataka’s accident graph refuses to dip — a chilling reminder that road safety remains one of the State’s most                                urgent challenges.

Measures to prevent accidents

Traffic hotspots within the Municipal limits that witness frequent accidents are being officially designated as ‘black spots.’ Preventive measures are being implemented at these high-risk locations to reduce accidents, while simultaneous efforts are underway to raise awareness among vehicle users, Shivashankar, ACP, Mysuru City Traffic Division, told  Star of Mysore.

“To effectively control road accidents in the city, Police must go beyond routine checks on violators and work towards long-term solutions. In densely populated areas, roadside vending should be restricted to reduce accident risks,” noted Ningaraju Chittannavar, a resident of Ramakrishnanagar.

“Importantly, before urging citizens to obey traffic rules, the Police Department and civic authorities must first create a supportive environment that enables compliance,” he noted.