Tamil Nadu’s vehicle population crosses 4 crore as road fatalities remain high

Image used for representation | Photo Credit: M. Srinath Tamil Nadu ranks third in the country in terms of the number of registered vehicles, with the total vehicle population rising from 3.92 crore at the end of December 2025 to 4.05 crore by July 2026.At the same time, the State recorded 71,221 road accidents in 2025, including 17,756 fatal accidents, in which 18,503 people were killed and 76,418 injured. In the first seven months of 2026, 11,019 fatalities and 47,726 injuries have been reported, according to the policy note of the government.The policy note tabled by Transport Minister A. Vijay Tamilan Parthiban said two-wheelers account for nearly 83.45% of the total vehicle population, reflecting the increasing demand for personal mobility across urban and rural areas. Tamil Nadu is in the third place in the two-wheeler category too.New registrationsVehicle registrations in the State have shown sustained growth, with more than 23 lakh new vehicles registered during 2025-2026, representing an increase of about 20% over the previous year.During the previous financial year, ₹12,502.71 crore revenue was generated to the government through vehicle taxes, registration fees, permit fees, and other regulatory charges.Based on the instructions received from the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, enforcement activities have been tightened on six major traffic violations – speeding, overloading in goods carriage, carrying persons in goods carriage, drunken driving, red light jumping, and using mobile phone while driving. Driving licences are being suspended/cancelled for traffic violations.Drunken driving is one the major reasons for road accident fatalities. As many as 9,402 licences were suspended for drunken driving in 2024, 13,433 in 2025, and 8,223 driving licences in this year up to March. For using mobile phones while driving, licences of 19,505 in 2024, 23,295 in 2025, and 6,110 in this year up to March were suspended.“As of date, the Police department has 1,380 breath analyzers to find out the drunken driving cases. strict enforcement measures are being taken to curb the menace,” said an official. Published - September 09, 2026 03:37 pm IST