Deaths due to crashes fall by 38% due to nakabandis in Mumbai – Times of India

MUMBAI: Not everyone stayed indoors during the pandemic induced lockdown. Some parts of Maharashtra witnessed more fatal road crashes and casualties in January-October 2020 than during the same period in 2019. Jalna and Dhule witnessed a rise of 18% and 20% respectively in fatal crashes reported, while in Washim it was 12%.

Jalgaon and rural Amravati also witnessed a marginal increase in fatal crashes and casualties. A key reason was more private vehicles setting out on roads once cities unlocked, and more traffic violations being committed due to the perception that enforcement officers were busy fighting Covid-19.
Overall, Maharashtra reported 8,125 fatal crashes and 8,747 deaths in January-October this year, which was 16% lower than pre-Covid times in 2019. Mumbai did better with 38% fewer deaths as police had stepped up nakabandis during lockdown and the unlock period.
Most road-related deaths this year (610) were in Nashik, while Ahmednagar and Pune (rural) each reported 520 deaths. “Our analysis of crashes in these regions has shown speeding, wrong-side driving and dangerous driving to be leading causes. We also noticed very low adherence to safety measures like wearing helmets and seat belts in these areas,” said B K Upadhyaya, additional director general of police (state traffic). A massive enforcement drive has been planned to curb deaths here.
“Fatalities were reported even during total lockdown as migrant labourers were moving from one part of the country to another and essential vehicles were operational. On Mumbai-Pune Expressway, for instance, four fatalities involving trucks carrying essentials were reported. Police and health services were focussed on containing the spread of Covid and police were also battling infections within the force. So there was a perception among people that enforcement would be lax,” said Piyush Tewari, founder of the Save Life Foundation NGO that has worked on reducing Expressway crashes since 2016.
Fatalities dropped from 66 in January-October last year to 48 this year on the Expressway, but speeding stays a major cause of concern. “In the last one month, 14,500 speed violations were recorded,” said Tewari. Police admit that surveillance cameras are too few to deter speedsters. By next year, drones are expected to hover over the Expressway to locate broken down or stalled vehicles and get them to move away to avoid rear-end collisions, the most common cause of crashes on the 94-km stretch.