Traffic police start analysis of 121 fatal accident spots

The Mumbai traffic police have visited the first site on a list of 121 fatal accident sites to analyze crashes. One recent accident resulted in the death of two individuals and the arrest of a taxi driver. After the analysis, the traffic police have recommended increasing the height of the boundary wall, installing signboards, and adding speed breakers to prevent future accidents.

Mumbai: The northbound road going towards Govandi-Panjrapole outside Shivaji Nagar Dargah on the Eastern Freeway was the first site on the list of 121 fatal accident sites that a three-member team of the Mumbai traffic police visited for crash analysis in the first week of this month.

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On May 30, a 45-year-old man standing on the freeway was hit by a taxi, resulting in his death and of a 55-year-old passenger. According to the RCF police, the taxi driver identified as Mohammed Sharif Musahib Ali Shaikh, 64, was arrested on the charges of causing death due to negligence under section 304 (a) of the Indian Penal Code.

The police said that Irfan Idris Ansari, a resident of Aman Ashiana Society in Kukreja Compound of Chembur, was waiting for a taxi to get to work when the speeding taxi on its way towards Deonar hit him. Mehfooz Ahemad Siddique, who was seated in the back seat of the cab also suffered injuries. Both the men were rushed to Shatabdi hospital, where they succumbed to injuries after a few hours. Shaikh, who had fled the spot, was later arrested in Wadala.

After the crash analyses, the traffic police team found out that the height of the boundary wall of the freeway on the accident spot was 2.5 feet. The wall is unable to stop pedestrians from crossing the road and jumping on the freeway to get taxis, which could turn fatal as the speed limit on the freeway is 80 kms per hour.

The team also found that there was no signboard stating ‘no stopping or no halting’ so that taxis do not stop to ferry passengers. There were no speed breakers also, the team found.

Based on the findings, the traffic police have written to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to increase the height of the boundary wall to five feet and asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to put up signboards and install rumblers to control speed of vehicles.

The team had also visited an accidented site in Charkop, but they are yet to prepare the report.

Pravin Padwal, joint commissioner of police (Traffic) said 132 people have died in 121 fatal accidents across the city till June this year. Besides, people suffered grievous injuries in 311 accidents, minor injuries in 379 accidents and 56 other minor accidents.

Taking these accidents seriously, the traffic police had in June formed a team comprising three officials, who would visit each of these 121 spots and conduct a crash analysis. “Apart from the medical reports and RTO examination of the vehicle to understand the health of the vehicles involved, our team will visit the spot and analyse the cause of the accidents,” M Ramkumar, additional commissioner of police (traffic), said.

Ramkumar said that after securing the FIR of the accident, the team would go to each spot along with the RTO and BMC or MMRDA officials to ascertain the cause of the mishap.

Right from the width and length of the road, the team would take down every minor detail like the point of collision and distance between the vehicles or the pedestrian and the vehicle involved, the ongoing infrastructure projects and the condition of the road etc.

The team will prepare a detailed report based on their findings. “If the outcome of the analysis to prevent further accidents is posting staff or installing a traffic signal, we will do that as soon as possible,” Padwal said and added that after communicating with the authorities concerned, the team will go back to the spot later to mark whether the changes or additions suggested were made.