Fewer road accidents in January-February this year than same period in 2018

PUNE: The number of accidents and fatalities on the city roads has come down slightly in the first two months of 2019 when compared to the 2018 January-February figures.

Most of the credit is due to the implementation of the helmet mandate, which started in December 2018, and other road safety initiatives of the Pune traffic department.

Data furnished by the Pune traffic police — available up to February 25, 2019 — reveal that not only the number of fatalities but also the number of minor and grievous accidents has dropped marginally this year. Most doctors agreed that the severity of the injuries too has reduced.

“Cervical-spine injuries and head injuries have come down since the helmet mandate was implemented. Even the severity of injuries has reduced,” said Ketan Khurjekar, an orthopaedic at Sancheti Hospital.

“There are more people wearing helmets on Pune’s roads. As a result, the number of injuries is less,” reasoned Parag Sancheti, also from the Sancheti Hospital. Khurjekar added people must use helmets not to evade fines, but for their own safety.

Intensivist Prasad Rajhans, of Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, said there have been fewer head injury cases in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the past few months.

“If the helmet drive is sustained, the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities can be brought down further,” he said.

Kapil Zirpe, intensivist at Ruby Hall Clinic, however, said they have not seen a reduction in numbers. “Most people are still not wearing helmets and we have not noticed any dramatic change in numbers or severity of injuries so far,” he said.

Stressing on the need to use helmets, Zirpe said, “If 10,000 people can stand up against helmet use, why can’t 1 lakh people come out in favour of helmets?”