Team to probe accidents in state, data-driven safety measures on cards

Both the number of accidents and fatalities have risen in the last five years, and studying the causes will help improve road safety, said officers with the Road Transport Office (RTO). A third party agency will soon be appointed to undertake the study

MUMBAI: With an average 99 accidents daily across the state, and a rising number of fatalities in crashes, the state transport department will set up a team to analyse accidents and investigate crashes. This comes against the backdrop of the bus accident in Andhra Pradesh, which led to the death of 13 people.

Team to probe accidents in state, data-driven safety measures on cards

Both the number of accidents and fatalities have risen in the last five years, and studying the causes will help improve road safety, said officers with the Road Transport Office (RTO). A third party agency will soon be appointed to undertake the study.

“Multiple factors such as vehicle speed, road conditions, human error, black spots on the roads and geometry of turns are some of the reasons that contribute to accidents. We are emphasising the need for a detailed, scientific investigation of each accident that has occurred to the reasons,” said an RTO official.

Approximately ₹1 crore has been sanctioned for this initiative. The proposed unit will include technically qualified officers and experts. It will select fatal accidents and conduct detailed studies. This team will be part of the RTOs’ Road Safety Cell that will coordinate with departments such as the police, public works department, highway authorities, and traffic police to build an integrated accident prevention mechanism.

Sources said the analysis will cover the sequence of events, vehicle condition, braking patterns, road design, signalling systems, etc. Based on these findings, data-driven measures for road safety will be recommended. The authorities will identify black spots, make improvements in road design, if needed, erect speed regulation boards, signal system upgrades, and conduct driver awareness campaigns.

Meanwhile, in the last two months, action was taken against 1,65,303 two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets, while 22,000 pillion riders were fined for the same violation, and 14,658 cases of speeding were booked.

With 77% of road accident deaths in Maharashtra involving two-wheeler riders and pedestrians, the state transport department has decided to launch a campaign to reduce road accident deaths by over 50% by 2030. In mid-February, a campaign, titled ‘Save Two-Wheeler Riders and Pedestrians in 2026’, was launched following a road safety review.

Information of accident spots of the last three years will be plotted on Google Maps and compared, to assess the severity of accident-affected areas. Based on this analysis, priority will be given to these roads for implementing accident-prevention measures.

One of the measures is to ensure that two-wheeler riders without helmets are disallowed from crossing toll booths. At these toll booths, signs stating ‘No helmet, no entry’ will be prominently displayed. Radar-based interceptor vehicles will also be used for enforcement at these locations.