Alarms at intervals, speed curbs may help reduce accidents: Maharashtra Transport minister Anil Parab

Curved roads along with long stretches of straight ones in Maharashtra are leading to a rise in accidents, as per the findings of a study conducted by the transport department. Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab on Thursday said that the study was conducted as it was important to get into the root cause of the accidents. Parab said in a bid to reduce accidents, every taluka has been given targets to identify black spots and take corrective measures. The transport minister said, "We will come to know about the outcome of these steps after three months."

As per the study, people often tend to speed and drive rashly on straight roads, leading to accidents. File pic

"While curved roads and gradients are dangerous, people tend to speed and indulge in rash driving on straight roads, leading to accidents and deaths. We are now looking at various aspects of intervention to stop the accidents, such as alerting drivers who tend to doze off by setting up alarms at regular intervals while driving, speed curbs and a comprehensive policy on transport safety," Parab said.

Latest statistics had revealed that the number of road accidents in the state was higher than the previous years. The statistics compiled by the Maharashtra Highway Safety Patrol revealed that 13,346 people died and 15,922 people got injured in 29,292 accidents in 2021. The death toll is up by 1,777 as compared to 2020. In the past five years, a total of 63,475 people have died in 1,58,960 accidents in the state.

Anil Parab, transport minister

Last year, Nashik and Pune regions recorded the highest accident deaths whereas Mumbai saw a decrease, from 288 deaths in 2020 to 277 deaths last year. As per data, the state has been divided into 45 districts and commissionerates of which only 15 saw a decrease in deaths.

Efforts on the Mumbai-Pune expressway, a zero-fatality corridor, have had some success. Accidents have come down from 358 in 2018 to 188 in 2021 and fatalities came down from 110 to 82 and injuries from 151 to 143 during the same period.