‘Goa may record 1 accident death per day without urgent and drastic steps’

MARGAO: One life could be lost to a road accident per day in Goa if steps are not taken immediately, said Dr Madhu Ghodkirekar, associate professor of forensic medicine at South Goa District Hospital, Margao. Ghodkirekar, also in charge of the mortuary complex of the hospital, was expressing concern over what he called an alarming rate of accidents on Goa’s roads.
“Note that this rise in fatalities in road accidents is occurring when the economy has just returned to normalcy after Covid-19,” Ghodkirekar told TOI. “While the number of deaths in road accidents was high in 2022, the rate of fatalities continued to soar in the first 50 days of the current calendar year.” He went on to say, “This calls for concerted efforts on all fronts — law enforcement, awareness and education on road safety, and imbibing road culture by the public.”
Stating that the forensic department of South Goa District Hospital receives one road-accident victim’s body every two days, Ghodkirekar said that in most of these cases, the person had died on the spot. “This definitely calls for urgent and drastic measures after conducting a proper analysis by experts,” he said.
Ghodkirekar pointed out that the rate of accidents had dropped significantly over the past two years as pandemic restrictions had reduced vehicles on roads. “With the situation returning to normalcy, the density of vehicles on roads has increased and so has the rate of accidents,” he said.
Mentioning that two-wheelers are most vulnerable to accidents, Ghodkirekar urged riders to wear helmets. Stressing the need for a drive to enforce the helmet rule, he said, “When the helmet rule was enforced in 2002, the motorcycle taxi pilots association had vehemently opposed the move, before we succeeded in persuading them to obey the rule.” He added, “Since then, they have been religiously wearing helmets, and the result is there for all to see — not a single motorcycle pilot has died over the past 15 years of head injuries or for not wearing a helmet. There’s a lesson for all of us here.”
Ghodkirekar underscored the need for mass awareness about inculcating road culture “just the way we did about maintaining personal hygiene during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Ghodkirekar said, “Road safety should be introduced in school curricula as well. Besides, traffic police should lay emphasis on educating people rather than penalising them.”