In 2018, according to official data from the Maharashtra highway traffic police, Maharashtra reported 35,957 road accidents with 13,000 fatalities.
The data further revealed that the cause of accidents is majorly due to human errors and negligence with cases like drunk-driving, lane-cutting, talking on the phone while driving and more.
Pune365 spoke to experts and citizens to gauge their views on curbing the increasing rate of accidents.
Road accidents are the more dreaded concerns, yet, while everyone is aware of the safety measures, people still ignore these things, says Vikram Deshmukh, CA.
From not concentrating on the road, drunk driving, over-speeding, rash driving, overtaking from the wrong side, to being on your phone while driving are just some actions that can lead to a car accident. Safety is always important while on the road.
Apart from that, several other factors also contribute to accidents such as pedestrian carelessness, mechanical failures of vehicles and then importantly, road conditions. The condition of most Indian roads are pathetic and this is a perennial problem.
Damaged roads, eroded road merging of rural roads with highways, diversions, illegal speed breakers are major threats while driving.
In my opinion, the State government must prevent accidents by creating awareness campaigns like we are witnessing in Pune for helmets.
Implementing strict enforcement of laws, Improving the road infrastructure and most importantly, responsible citizens who follow the rules and understand the importance of their own safety.
Malvika Shinde, Journalist says, “As per WHO the major reason for accidents in India is due to poor road infrastructure.
The driver suffers for no fault of his. In several road plans, often footpaths, adequate space for pedestrians, recommended road height etc are missing or improper, leading to further issues on road safety.”
Speeding also contributes a lot to accidents on a highway. Highways contribute 41 per cent of road accidents every year as people fail to follow the speed limit on a highway.
The government needs to ensure that the design and construction process should be prioritised. Regular safety audits should be carried out on highways spanning across design and construction to the actual operations.
Besides, citizens should also follow the basic traffic rules on highways, at least for their own safety!, Shinde added.
Harish Parikh, says, “Over-speeding, wrong-side driving and signal jumping are the common reasons for accidents in the city, though a major contributor is poor road design and improper maintenance of road infrastructure.”
According to a report, infrastructure caused mishaps contribute to 62 per cent of road accidents all over Maharashtra.
Almost every city have roads in bad shape and drivers tend to avoid potholes, resulting in accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians too. It sounds like with accidents like this they might need an accident attorney for support and advice.
While Maharashtra has been upgrading the highways, the designs do not bear in mind the slow moving traffic, two-wheelers and jaywalkers!
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#All views are those of the individual respondent’s and Pune365 does not necessarily subscribe to them.
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