Panaji: Govt will install another 29 AI-based traffic cameras across Goa, taking the total to 55, with the entire state expected to be covered by Jan 2027, transport minister Mauvin Godinho said on Tuesday.Twenty-six AI traffic cameras are already operational across the state and are currently on trial, Godinho said, adding that people need time to get accustomed to the system.Defending the use of AI cameras to issue fines, Godinho said they were being implemented for public safety and that motorists who followed traffic rules would have nothing to fear.“When we go out of the state, we follow the rules and when it comes to the state people don’t want to follow the traffic rules. As a govt we don’t want anyone to suffer due to a road accident,” he said.Godinho said traffic violations had fallen from thousands of challans a few months ago to a few hundred as motorists had begun following traffic rules. He said the AI cameras would help control vehicle speeds and reduce accidents. The department is also monitoring vehicle rentals, while more people have started obtaining vehicle insurance and pollution certificates, he said.He said 60% of identified black spots had been removed, with work under way on the remaining locations. “The transport department’s job is to inform PWD about the black spot and PWD’s work is to repair those and minister is doing it,” Godinho said.He attributed many accidents to drunk driving, speeding, underage driving and reckless driving, adding that he did not want to blame the public.However, accidents increased by 10.7% in June 2026 compared with the same month last year, according to Goa police’s traffic cell. A total of 1,324 accidents were reported in June, against 1,196 in June 2025, an increase of 128 cases. Fatalities also rose from 141 to 142.A senior police officer said, “Around 93.9% of accidents occurred due to rash and negligent driving.”National highways accounted for 40.8% of the accidents, while 78.6% occurred on straight roads and 12.6% on curved roads.
