Mumbai: Road fatalities across Maharashtra increased 13% in 2022 over the previous year, according to the latest NCRB statistics, making it the state with the second highest number of crash related deaths from speeding. There were 15,748 fatalities on state roads in 2022 compared to 13,911 deaths in 2021.
The NCRB report said most road related crashes across the country (63%) were due to speeding. They caused 1,00,726 deaths and injured 2,71,661 people in all. “A large number of deaths in road related crashes due to speeding was reported in Tamil Nadu (14%) followed by Maharashtra (10%)," it said. Dangerous and careless driving or overtaking was the other category which caused a high number of fatalities in Uttar Pradesh (13,171 deaths) followed by 4,015 deaths in Maharashtra.
Ranjit Gadgil, program director of NGO Parisar, said the report was "reiterating the fact that we must sit up and take cognisance of the speeding issue." He said, “Not many vehicles are being checked on highways on a daily basis. Most people know they can get away with it and are speeding with impunity."
Last month, the Maharashtra highway police along with Bloomberg Initiative of Global Road Safety launched a mass media campaign featuring the story of Sagar Narkar, a 24-year-old road crash victim from Mumbai, whose death caused left an indelible mark of sorrow on his family.
In 2019, Sagar had set out for Film City on a friend's bike. On his way back, he was speeding when the bike hit a road divider and resulted in his death. His father, Sanjay, spoke of how Sagar's mother couldn't cope with the loss and subsequently died. A video clip featuring Sanjay's plea to motorists to reduce speed is being played in cinema halls and on social media.
Highway police has stepped up enforcement against the menace using vehicles equipped with speed guns, breathalyzers and tint meters. Camps for legal support and insurance claims are being organised for families of road victims in Raigad, Pune, Thane, Aurangabad and Nagpur.
According to Piyush Tewari, CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation, high speed corridors lack commensurate safety infrastructure such as crash barriers, signages, blinkers. "We have recommended that the budget for road building and budget for safety furniture needs to be segregated so that they can be measured and accounted for in a transparent manner," Tewari added.
We also published the following articles recently
Delhi recorded most road fatalities in country in 2022: NCRBAccording to the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2022, Delhi reported the highest number of road accidents in the country, totaling 5,387. The city also had the highest number of railway accidents, accounting for 50.9 percent of the total mishaps. The 'Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2022' report highlighted that road accidents constituted 97.3 percent of the total accidents. It also revealed that road accidents near residential areas accounted for 29.1 percent of the incidents.105733182'Road crash deaths a big challenge'Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasizes the challenge of preventing deaths from road accidents due to overspeeding and untrained drivers. Uttar Pradesh witnesses 20,000 to 22,000 road accident deaths annually, significantly higher than COVID-19 related deaths in the last two years. Yogi flags off buses, interceptor vehicles, and publicity vans, and transfers grants to electric vehicle owners. An MOU is signed with Maruti Suzuki for the automation and operation of driving training institutes. The CM highlights the need for two lakh EV buses, creating employment opportunities and improving public transportation.105689465Traffic constable seriously injured as speeding car rams patrol bike in LucknowA speeding car rammed into a traffic police personnel from behind, seriously injuring Traffic Constable Amit Kumar near Bara Birwa crossing under Krishna Nagar police station. The incident occurred around 1.30 am when Kumar was on duty. Other cops tried to stop the car, but it fled from the spot. The driver of the car has been arrested and the vehicle has been seized near Alamb Bagh bus depot. The accused has been identified as Abhsihek Das, a resident of Alambagh who works as a salesman in a car showroom.105725927
