Road mishaps killed 447 people in Mumbai last year

In 2019, 90% of the city’s total road deaths were made up of pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycle riders

Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety and its partners, including Mumbai traffic police, released a report on Tuesday analysing the death and injury data in Mumbai.

The Godrej junction at Vikhroli is one of the most accident-prone spots in the city. Between 2017 and 2019, 18 people have died in accidents at the junction. (HT file)

After analysing 184 kilometres of roads in Mumbai, the crash analysis team found a consistent decrease in road traffic deaths between 2015 and 2019. With 447 people losing their lives in road crashes in Mumbai in 2019, there was a dip of 3% compared to 2018 statistics and a 47% dip compared to 2015 figures. The report found that 80% of victims of road deaths are males and 99% perpetrators of fatal crashes are also male. Most drivers involved in fatal accidents in 2019 were between the age group of 20-24 years.

Dr Sara Whitehead, public health and preventive medicine consultant, Vital Strategies, said, “The continuous decrease in road traffic deaths from 2015 through 2019 is an impressive testament to the hard work of city officials and police in Mumbai. But too many Mumbaikars are still at risk of injury or death just by walking through the streets.”

Most victims of fatal accidents fell in the age group of 30 to 59 years. In 2019, 90% of the city’s total road deaths were made up of pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycle riders. This group also made up 83% of the total injured in road crashes.

Maximum fatalities were recorded on Ghatkopar Mahul Road and Balasaheb Thackeray flyover. The most vulnerable intersections with maximum road crash fatalities were Amar Mahal and Godrej junctions. Between 2017 and 2019, 25 people have died at Amar Mahal junction and 18 have died at Godrej junction. On weekdays, the peak hours of 7pm to 9pm saw the most injuries and deaths. During weekends, the riskiest time was between 10pm and 11pm.

Mumbai Traffic Control Branch also released its report on road crash deaths in the city this year, from January to August. During this period, the city recorded a total of 172 fatalities, of which 47% were pedestrians. Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Yashasvi Yadav said, “We urge the people of Mumbai to drive at safe speeds, always wear helmets and seatbelts, and to never drink and drive.” Yadav said there are plans to implement intelligent traffic management systems to control traffic and reduce accidents in the near future.