Mumbai: City roads become safer, surroundings get deadlier

A total of 358 accidents were reported in Mumbai from January-April 2023. Representation pic/Atul Kamble

Fresh data released by the transport department, regarding road accidents in the first four months of the last three years, has revealed that the number of accidents and deaths has reduced in congested Mumbai and its suburbs. However, the number of accidents and injuries caused is increasing in the adjoining cities of Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mira-Bhayander Vasai-Virar. Experts say rash driving and lack of discipline are among the main reasons for the rise.

The statistics also revealed that the number of deaths caused statewide due to accidents has come down in the first four months of 2023, following the Regional Transport Office's (RTO) scientific approach in gathering taluka-wise accident data and enforcing road safety measures along with its ongoing six-month safety campaign.

According to the statistics, the number of accidents in Mumbai came down from 828 in January-April 2021 to 705 in January-April 2022 and 358 in the corresponding period this year. The number of deaths and injuries in Mumbai also witnessed a decline, down from 164 deaths and 647 injured in 2021 to 145 deaths and 623 injured in 2022, and 86 deaths and 328 injured in 2023.

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In contrast, the number of accidents in Thane rose from 270 in 2021 and 274 in 2022 to 299 during the period of review in 2023. In Navi Mumbai, 237 accidents were reported during the period in 2021, which increased to 239 in 2022 and 257 in 2023. As for Mira-Bhayander Virar-Vasai, the accidents recorded jumped from 173 in 2021 to 245 in 2022 and 286 in 2023.

The number of deaths in Thane rose from 65 in 2021 to 71 in 2022, but dropped to 68 in 2023. Navi Mumbai recorded 97 deaths each in 2021 and 2022 and 74 in 2023 while accident-related deaths in Mira-Bhayander Virar-Vasai went from 62 in 2021 to 72 in 2022 and 60 in 2023. The statistics show Thane witnessed 240 accident-related injuries in 2021, 235 in 2022 and 269 in 2023. In Navi Mumbai, the number of injuries recorded went from 182 in 2021 to 180 in 2022, and increased to 202 in 2023. Mira-Bhayander Virar-Vasai saw the highest rise in injuries which went from 97 in 2021 to 173 in 2022 and 230 during the period of review this year.

"The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) lacks law enforcement. Motorists are not bothered about following the rule of law. Rash driving and signal jumping, with much lesser speed-breakers on the roads, is the main cause for the rise in accidents," Jitendra Gupta, founder member of the Citizen Transport Committee said.

According to transport expert Jagdeep Desai, fatalities should not be the criteria to establish road safety. "Near misses, injuries and damage to vehicles or public infrastructure like flyover columns, railings, etc. need to be included in the overall scenario. Zero tolerance and a strict no-nonsense approach towards enforcement of traffic discipline is the only way to road safety," Desai said.

Meanwhile, statewide data indicated that the number of accidents and deaths has gone down from 11,358 accidents and 5,414 deaths in 2022 to 11,227 accidents and 4,922 deaths in 2023. "If one looks at the state-wide data, there has been a decline of around 500 deaths in the first four months in Maharashtra due to a sustained 24x7 RTO campaign that has been in place for six-month along major highways across the state," Deputy Transport Commissioner (road safety cell) and Transport Officer Bharat Kalaskar said.