Road crashes in Maharashtra: What accounts for a dip in fatalities

From volunteers trained to help accident victims to marking blackspots, here is how the Maharashtra highway police are winning the fight against road accidents

Road crash deaths on state and national highways across Maharashtra decreased last year compared to the previous year, although the number of accidents went up during the year. In 2023, 15,009 people lost their lives in 34,114 road crashes on state and national highways across the state — 15,224 people died in 33,383 accidents in 2022. What accounts for this dip in fatalities?

After analysing accidents for five years, if the traffic police find that a particular stretch of 500 metres has seen 10 fatalities or five accidents in three consecutive years, they mark the area as a “blackspot.” (Representative Image/Praful Gangurde / HT Photo)

Dr Ravinder Singal, additional Director General of Police (Highway Traffic) said that the behaviour of drivers that led to crashes — speeding, drunk driving, incorrect or no helmet use, no seatbelt use and child restraint — remained the primary cause of accidents on state and national highways. However, efforts taken by the Maharashtra traffic police to enforce traffic rules have helped in bringing down the fatalities, he said.

A considerable addition of infrastructure projects on the existing road network of 342,202 kilometres in the state should be accounted for while analysing accidents, Singhal said. “In this backdrop, we need to analyse the accident patterns and come up with solutions to minimise the loss of lives.”

Coordination with other agencies

After studying crash patterns over the years, the traffic police realised that a joint effort by agencies was key to curbing accidents and fatalities. After every accident, the highway traffic police prepares a report detailing the main cause of the accident, the health of the vehicles involved and engineering or design problems in the infrastructure, if any. Wherever necessary, the police also suggest rectifications required. Singhal said that the traffic police would keep pursuing the matter with various authorities till a solution is worked out.

In 2023, 141 deaths were recorded in 1,239 accidents on the newly inaugurated stretch of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg. After a brain-storming session, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) installed colour flags on the median to prevent road hypnosis, rumblers were placed every 25 kilometres, and median crash barriers were put up. The MSRDC also incorporated precautionary signages, reflective tapes, solar blinkers, and public announcement systems at toll plazas to enhance safety awareness. Nets were put up at places from where wild animals ventured onto the highway.

Enforcement and awareness

The Maharashtra state highway police has 3,129 personnel who patrol the state and national highways and impose nakabandis (roadblocks). In 2023, the highway police issued over 240,000 challans to motorists violating traffic rules.

Singal said that at checkpoints, especially entry, exit and interchange points on highways, all heavy vehicles were checked for permits and tyre pressure to ensure that the vehicles were fit to ply on the highway. “We conduct regular nakabandis to catch traffic violators and issue challans to them,” he said.

Apart from enforcing the law, the traffic police also conduct regular awareness programmes for heavy vehicle drivers through seminars and visual presentations.

With the help of NGOs like SaveLIFE Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropy, and Western India Automobile Foundation, the police take necessary help to improve roads, create awareness and even provide helmets to riders.

Mrityunjay doots

The Mrityunjay doots — volunteers associated with the highway police — have so far saved the lives of 1,926 people injured in 3,597 road accidents across the state ever since the volunteers were engaged by the highway police in March 2021. The highway police started the programme in which local villagers, employees of dhabas and petrol pumps, doctors and hospital staff around state and national highways were trained in handling injured persons to provide primary medical care and give CPR. The doots are expected to arrange ambulances and transfer the injured to nearby hospitals at the earliest. In 2023, the doots helped rush 2,202 people injured in 1,003 accidents to nearby hospitals in golden hour and save their lives.

Black spots

After analysing accidents for five years, if the traffic police find that a particular stretch of 500 metres has seen 10 fatalities or five accidents in three consecutive years, they mark the area as “blackspot.” In 2022, the police earmarked 742 black spots; in 2021, the number was 1,004. The police and road transport department claimed that 262 black spots were removed from the list in 2023 by providing permanent or temporary solutions to rectify the engineering or infrastructural issues causing the accidents.