Hyderabad has emerged as India’s safest metropolitan city for driving, scoring 93 in the India Road Safety Report 2026. Based on millions of real-world trips, the study found disciplined driving in the city, while late-night driving remains the riskiest across India.
Published Date – 22 July 2026, 03:06 PM
Hyderabad: Hyderabad has been ranked as India’s safest metropolitan city for driving, securing the highest SmartDrive score of 93 in the India Road Safety Report (IRSR) 2026.
Released by Zuno General Insurance, the report, based on the analysis of real-world driving trips, highlights the city’s comparatively disciplined driving behaviour despite the rapid growth in traffic and vehicle population.
The study analysed over 4.5 million trips, covering 55 million km of driving data collected from more than 27,000 active users of the Zuno SmartDrive mobile application across 17 States. Using smartphone-based telematics, the report evaluated driving behaviour based on speeding, sudden braking, harsh acceleration, cornering and distracted driving, instead of relying solely on accident statistics.
The findings also reveal that driving habits worsen considerably during late evening hours. While the average driving score remained stable for much of the day, it declined sharply after 8 pm, with the 9 pm to 10 pm slot recording the lowest score of 86, making it the riskiest time to be on the road. In contrast, 1 pm to 2 pm was identified as the safest period, registering a score of 93.
Across India, sudden braking and harsh acceleration emerged as the weakest aspects of driving behaviour, indicating that aggressive driving continues to pose a major road safety challenge.
India Road Safety Report 2026 – Key Findings
*Hyderabad tops Indian metros with a SmartDrive score of 93
*9 pm–10 pm identified as the riskiest driving hour
*1 pm–2 pm rated the safest driving period
*Behavioural factors contribute to over 80 per cent of road accidents
*India records 1.73 lakh road deaths annually
*Two-wheeler riders account for 44 per cent of road fatalities, pedestrians at 19 per cent
