Borivli, Vakola most accident-prone: survey

Borivli and Vakola in Santacruz (East) have seen the most biker-related fatalities, closely followed by Trombay and Goregaon, states a recent survey by the Mumbai traffic police that mapped the most accident-prone spots in the city.

Borivli and Vakola in Santacruz (East) have seen the most biker-related fatalities, closely followed by Trombay and Goregaon, states a recent survey by the Mumbai traffic police that mapped the most accident-prone spots in the city.

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"Borivli, Vakola and Goregaon all fall along the Western Express Highway. There are several slums there, and apart from a large number of biker casualties, many pedestrians lose their lives while crossing the roads," said Allka Shah, member of a road safety advisory board to the Mumbai police.

Even as steps have been taken to mitigate mishaps in accident-prone areas on state highways, the same is not the case in the interiors of the city.

"A lot of areas are ridden with potholes, without any speed breakers, poor illumination, a lack of zebra crossings, steep blinding curves and drastic slopes, thereby making the roads vulnerable to accidents. Black spots (most accident-prone areas) especially in Borivli, Vakola, Trombay and Goregaon need to be identified through a safety audit," said Shah.

Shah added that after the audit is conducted, another study should be undertaken by engineers to ascertain means to curb accidents at these spots. They can then make a number of suggestions, such as putting speed breakers before junctions, trimming vegetation, fixing speed arresters and reducing curves and slopes.

Having observed that most of the bikers involved in accidents belong to the age groups of 21 to 30 years, the traffic police, have decided to spread awareness among the youth by joining hands with 490 schools and colleges in the city to drive home the safety message.