Road accidents in Himachal Pradesh, which remain a major concern in the state, witnessed a sharp rise in the first quarter of 2026 (January 1 to March 31), with the state reporting 539 accidents — a surge of around 29 per cent compared to the same period last year. In Q1 2025, the state had recorded 415 road accident cases.
According to data from Himachal Pradesh Police, Mandi district recorded the highest number of accidents in 2026 with 85 cases.
Sirmour followed with 64 accidents, while Shimla reported 57, Kullu 49, Kangra 46, Una 45, Police District Baddi 43, Solan 38, Bilaspur 36, Police District Dehra 19, Chamba 15, Hamirpur and Police District Nurpur 13 each, and Kinnaur nine cases.
The tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti recorded three accidents, the lowest in the state for the second consecutive year.
In comparison, during the same period in 2025, Shimla reported the highest number of accidents with 55 cases, followed by Sirmour with 53, Mandi 44, Kullu 40, Una 38, Bilaspur 35, Solan 33, Police District Baddi 28, Kangra 27, Police District Nurpur 18, Hamirpur and Police District Dehra 13 each, Chamba 10, Kinnaur six, and Lahaul and Spiti two cases.
Highlighting preventive measures, police officials said the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) is being used across the state, with AI-based cameras deployed to monitor traffic violations such as over-speeding and drunk driving.
Authorities are also identifying black spots, conducting special enforcement drives, and running awareness campaigns on road safety and traffic rules.
