45 people lost their lives in 107 early morning accidents in Pune in 2022

According to the traffic police and experts, the reasons for early morning accidents include deserted roads prompting drivers to overspeed, drowsiness, and the rush to reach the desired destination

Early on Monday, a 55-year-old auto-rickshaw driver from Nashik was crushed to death by a speeding container, putting the spotlight back on deaths due to accidents during early morning hours in the city.

Several people were injured when a speeding truck hit a tempo of Shiv devotees who had gone to fetch the Shiva Jyot. The accident took place in the early morning near Dehu Road Katraj Bypass road near Tathwade. (HT FILE PHOTO)

Around 45 people lost their lives in 107 accidents that occurred between 6 am and 9 am according to data shared by the Pune city traffic police. The highest number of early morning accidents (14) occurred in July, followed by 13 in April, and 12 in November of 2022 whereas the highest number of fatalities in such accidents were eight each reported in July and December of 2022. According to the data, Pune city reported 44 deaths in 145 accidents that occurred between 9 am and 12 pm in 2022.

According to the traffic police and experts, the reasons for early morning accidents include deserted/less crowded roads prompting drivers to overspeed, drowsiness, and the rush to reach the desired destination/s.

Vijay Magar, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) traffic, Pune city, said, “We are working to minimise the speed of vehicles during early morning hours in localities like Hadapsar and Loni Kalbhor.”

Magar said that they have also started collecting detailed accident reports with the help of NGOs so that the exact reasons for the mishaps can be identified. “Based on the reports filed by traffic officers in charge of specific spots, we will decide the necessary steps to be taken at those particular spots.”

Magar attributed frequent accidents to factors such as speeding, lane-cutting, driving on the wrong side of the road, drunk driving, engineering errors and so on.

“We will determine the exact cause of each accident through detailed study reports, and we will make the necessary changes at that location,” he informed.

The 55-year-old auto-rickshaw driver who was crushed to death by a speeding container in the early hours of Monday had travelled to Pune Sunday night with his wife and daughter, 22, who was to appear for a police recruitment test. The man had just dropped his daughter for the recruitment test and was headed for tea when the mishap took place, according to the police.