‘Despite travel curbs, no end to rash driving on highways’

MUMBAI: Travel restrictions owing to the Covid-19 pandemic have failed to contain the fatalities on national highways.

According to statistics provided by the Maharashtra Highway Police, 2,754 fatal accidents were reported from 2019 to June 2021 on four national highways – Mumbai-goa, Mumbai-kolhapur, Mumbai-surat and Mumbai-agra – in which 3,012 people lost their lives.

The data also revealed that from 2019 to June 30, 2021, a total of 12,850 accidents took place on the four major highways connecting Mumbai to other cities.

Police officers said even though travel curbs were in place across the country, fatal accidents have not declined.

In 2019, the four major highways reported 2,696 accidents, including 1,084 fatal ones in which 1,166 people lost their lives. In 2020, the figures did not show any vast decline despite the lockdown as 2,158 accidents took place, including 1,114 fatal accidents in which 1,215 people died.

This year till June 30, the four national highways have witnessed 1,196 accidents, wherein 621 people have lost their lives.

Highway police officers said that most of these accidents occurred due to human error on part of heavy vehicle drivers.

The most number of accidents, however, were reported on Mumbai-agra and Mumbaikolhapur highways, making them the most dangerous road stretches.

To bring down accidents, BK

Upadhyay, additional director general of police (highways), said that since March this year, they have begun an intensive drive to book violators through the e-challan system.

Apart from non-governmental organisations (NGO) and local bodies, the police are also taking help of locals and employees of private establishments located on highways to provide first aid to accident victims and assistance in taking them to nearby trauma centres or hospitals.

As a part of the project, the police have started capacity building at spots which have been identified as accidentprone areas so that the fatalities are brought down. The police have positioned cranes and emergency vehicles near identified hot spots so that the victims can get immediate medical assistance. Apart from this, the police have also blocked unauthorised median cuts across the highways, which were causing accidents.

IN 2019, 1,166 PEOPLE DIED IN ACCIDENTS ON 4 MAJOR HIGHWAYS. LAST YEAR, 1,215 FATALITIES WERE REPORTED