Mumbai-Pune Expressway sees biggest drop in fatalities in last 12 years

This picture has been used for representational purpose only

As per the data released by the Zero Fatality Corridor project, a joint initiative of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), Maharashtra Highway Police, Mahindra and Mahindra, and SaveLIFE Foundation, to reduce deaths on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the number of fatalities on MPEW have now seen an overall reduction of 43 percent since the project began in 2016.

The MPEW suffered 151 deaths in 2016 and 86 in 2019. The severity of crashes, which is defined as the number of deaths per hundred crashes, has also come down from 53.5 percent to 24.8 percent.

A combination of well-coordinated interventions under the project such as crash data analysis, fixing of engineering issues, smart patrolling to prevent collisions with parked vehicles, and improvements in ambulance response contributed to the reduction in fatalities.

Commenting on the feat, RL Mopalwar, Vice Chairman and MD of MSRDC stated, "Every death on the expressway is a matter of grave concern for us. We will not rest till we get to zero preventable deaths on this crucial link between Mumbai and Pune."

Vinay Kargaonkar, Additional Director General of Police, Traffic noted, "Intensified patrolling and our zero-tolerance policy towards violators has shown results. Going forward, we will intensify the same. We appeal to the commuters who use the expressway to cooperate with us in this initiative and drive responsibly."

The project is conceptualised and managed by SaveLIFE Foundation and is supported by auto-major Mahindra and Mahindra through its CSR funds. Mahindra and Mahindra are also supporting the project through employee volunteers and support with driver research.

Commenting on the impact of the project, Vijay Nair, Vice President - Admin & CSR (AFS), M&M said, "It's a matter of great satisfaction that the efforts are showing positive results and fatalities have reduced by over 40% since we started in 2016. We are confident that fatalities will come down to near zero by 2021."

Commenting on the partnership, Piyush Tewari, Founder, and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation stated that, "The partnership-based approach to road safety is the only way to save lives on roads in India. We still have some way to go to achieve zero preventable fatalities but our strong partnership with various Maharashtra Government agencies, MSRDC and M&M give us the confidence to carry on till we get there."

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway was opened to commuters in 2002 and is said to be the country's first expressway.

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