Highway Guaradians: Punjab's SSF Slashes Road Deaths by Nearly Half

As of August 2025, the Punjab government announced that the state's Sadak Suraksha Force (SSF) has saved more than 35,000 lives since its inception in January 2024.

- TARUNI GANDHI

According to official data, the SSF responded to over 19,500 accident situations across Punjab within its first year and continues to provide rapid trauma intervention along the state's highways.

Crucially, the deployment of the SSF has led to a 45.55% drop in road accident fatalities during the period from February to October 2024. In those months, the number of deaths on highways fell from 1,686 in 2023 to 918 in 2024, according to state records. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has attributed this dramatic decline to the impact of the SSF's real-time intervention and technology-enabled patrol network.

From Crisis to Control Launched on January 27, 2024, the Sadak Suraksha Force represents Punjab's bold response to the long-standing problem of road accidents and delayed trauma care. The idea was to build a force that could function with the precision and urgency of paramedics, supported by the reach and authority of police enforcement.

Before SSF's launch, road safety enforcement in Punjab was fragmented, with inconsistent patrol coverage and delayed emergency responses. Recognizing these gaps, the government conceptualized SSF as a specialized, full-time road safety and emergency intervention force.

Infrastructure and Deployment The SSF's infrastructure is extensive and systematically distributed across Punjab's vast road network, comprising National and State Highways.

Key Operational Infrastructure: Fleet: 144 specially-equipped vehicles: 116 Toyota Hilux pickup trucks, 28 Mahindra Scorpios, Each stationed at 30-km intervals along major highways. Personnel: Approx. 1,568 trained officers, including 90+ women responders, operating in three shifts of 8 hours each to ensure 24/7 coverage. Command structure: Each vehicle has a 4-member team led by an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), supported by centralized monitoring and dispatch from the Punjab Road Safety Command Centre.