Number of road mishap deaths rises 7% in Maharashtra, drops in Mumbai

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Economic Survey shows that 820 more lives were lost in mishaps across the state in 2018-19 as compared to previous year. The report shows that an average 36 people died in road accidents in the state daily. While the number of mishaps registered by the police have dropped in two years, the fatalities have risen and this was a disturbing trend, said experts. In Mumbai, however, there was a dip in road fatalities by 20% in the past one year.
The fatalities across Maharashtra rose 7% from 12,264 to 13,084 in a year while the fatalities in road mishaps in Mumbai dipped from 490 to 410. The number of mishaps dropped from 39,848 cases across state to 35,955 in two years.

Transport expert A V Shenoy said the main cause of accidents was indiscipline among drivers, speeding or overtaking and lack of sleep. “Human error is the number one cause of accidents followed by other factors like technical fault in vehicle,” he stated. The survey report mentioned that the number of accidents per ten thousand vehicles in Maharashtra during 2018 was 10.
The number of valid motor driving licence holders in the state till March, 2018 was 3.41 crore, showing an increase of 4.1% over the previous year. The number of licences issued by RTOs in 2017-18 was 18.1 lakh, the report stated.
A senior official from transport commissioner’s office said: “We have introduced compulsory audio-video training on road safety for those applying or coming for renewals for commercial driving licencesThey are being sensitized to drive safely, specially on arterial roads and highways and to ensure safety of pedestrians and other motorists.”
A robust electronic enforcement system which includes speed cameras, CCTV cameras, speed guns has ensured violations are captured on the road, another official stated.
According to Dr Rita Sawla, founder director of RADHEE Foundation, which works in the field of emergency medical care, an average 55 people were critically injured in road crashes in Maharashtra daily. “Many end up as paralytic, maimed or bed-ridden for life,” she pointed out, adding that there was a huge burden on health infrastructure due to the increasing number of mishaps in the state—with patients sometimes unable to get ICU admission in hospitals as beds are occupied. “When a patient is taken from one hospital to another in search of a bed, it further worsens his health condition,”' she observed.
Officials from the transport department had identified 1,324 black spots (vulnerable to accidents). Of these, nearly 369 are being attended to while 955 will be rectified by March 2020, a source said.