Maharashtra: The grand plan that saved 500 lives on state roads this year

The number of deaths in road accidents across Maharashtra dropped significantly in the first four months of this yearmdashcompared to the same period in 2022mdashaccording to latest statistics midday lists the efforts by the Regional Transport Office RTO and the highway traffic police that helped achieve this distinctionIt started with a sixmonth campaign on the MumbaiPune stretch in late 2022 followed by the implementation of a longterm solution compiling talukawise accident data of the entire state and onthespot enforcement of road safety measures In total 11227 accidents and 4922 deaths were witnessed from January till the end of April The corresponding figures for the same period in the previous year were 11358 and 5414 respectivelyDr Ravinder Singal ADGP highway traffic MaharashtraSixmonth driveStarting December 1 2022 the authorities started a 24x7 mass drive with fullfledged staff to crack down on all kinds of traffic violators For this campaign 30 staff members from the Mumbai Panvel Pune and PimpriChinchwad RTO offices were roped in to serve on 12 squads Six squads with 15 officers each were posted to expressways and highways in interceptor vehicles The figures are from two RTO jurisdictions PimpriChinchwad and Panvel from where the expressway passes The drive has received the support of NGOs the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation and a number of road safety organisationsAlso Read Mumbai Soon no more stopping at Vakola signal on WEHSteps takenThe RTO and police authorities came up with a sevenpoint action plan Their first target was overspeeders All those found speeding are taken to toll booths where counselling cabins and teams have been set up and made to watch an awareness film on how speed kills and participate in a questionandanswer session Once this is done the violator will have to take an oath and vow never to cross the speed limit again Then the violator will be issued their QampA marks followed by a completion certificate endorsing that heshe has undergone a counselling sessionThe RTO and police authorities involved in the sixmonth drive came up with a sevenpoint action planAlong the MumbaiPune stretch another crucial point on the highway was noticed between Lonavala and the Khalapur toll naka where there is a falling gradient It is here that most drivers switch off their engines put their vehicles in neutral gear and allow them to glide which is a dangerous trend A squad was posted at that point to advise motorists against doing such thingsAs per details the other major focus was on seat belts where RTO teams counselled a large number of motorists and found that the person sitting next to the driver usually does not wear a seat belt Those taking part in the safety campaign also cracked down on those violating lane discipline ferrying excess passengers helmetless travel and illegal and random parking Awareness banners and placards were also placed across the highwayScientific approachBesides the sustained campaign the compilation of a database has made a massive impact Earlier the authorities never had a comprehensive database and used to act in an ad hoc manner with regard to dealing with accidents Their proposals in connection with safety measures as per their investigations into mishaps would get stuck in red tape and the implementation of the steps would take time The newly constituted Road Safety Cell in October 2022 however ushered in changeBharat Kalaskar deputy transport commissioner road safety cell and transport officer said ldquoA scientific approach to the entire matter seems to be solving the issue We summoned teams from all 50 RTOs from all 36 districts in Maharashtra to the head office There are 358 talukas and we prepared a talukawise accident database including minute details about accidentprone roads black spots timings when most mishaps occur the kinds of fatalities and vehicles involved The list took time to prepare but it is now ready This helped us understand trends and work out solutions Every time there is an accident we have been going back to the database to find an answer and fix things so that there is no repetitionrdquolsquoFixingrsquo the issue entails road engineering and putting in place barricades and signage so that the cause of the mishap is eliminated But there was a crucial issue funds ldquoEvery time we worked out a safety proposal and sent it to the government it used to get stuck in red tape and the actual implementation of safety measures used to take time Even the smallest suggestion of putting up signs used to get stuck due to fundrelated issuesrdquo Kalaskar statedEnforcement and actionldquoWe then approached the government On our recommendations it came out with a government resolution GR which states that about one per cent of funds from the respective District Planning and Development Council DPDC can be used for road safety work The DPDC gets several crores from the state government for upgrades and routine expenses Even one per cent of this amount is a lot when it comes to road safety This means that we do not have to send proposals for minor road safety measures as funds are now readily availablerdquo he explainedBharat Kalaskar and Piyush TewariKalaskar added ldquoIf one looks at the statewide data around 500 deaths have been reduced in the first four months in the state due to the database and campaign along major highwaysrdquo he added Dr Ravinder Singal additional director general of police highway traffic Maharashtra told midday ldquoThe successful outcome can be attributed to a series of comprehensive measures implemented by the Highway Safety Patrol One notable initiative is our safety campaign on the MumbaiPune stretch which aims to raise awareness about road safety and encourage responsible driving practices Additionally the compilation of talukawise accident data has provided valuable insights for better understanding accident patterns and implementing targeted interventionsrdquoHe added ldquoThe effective enforcement of road safety measures has played a crucial role in improving the overall safety of the roads These combined efforts have led to a notable reduction in accidents and the positive impact is evident in the statistical data Every day our staff makes tremendous efforts at the state level We focus on a targetoriented approach particularly on highways as each area presents different challenges We also collaborate with NGOs to enhance our approach Our comprehensive approach to data collection has been instrumental in our successrdquoCrash analysisAs per the data most accidents in the state happen between midnight and 6 am despite there being less traffic on the streets and they involve twowheelers and pedestrians About 45 per cent of crashes happened in rural regions About 50 per cent of fatalities also happened during the nighttime as people possibly tend to overspeed and break traffic regulations due to the absence of policing Disturbingly 80 per cent of fatalities in all districts involved pedestrians and motorcyclistsIn Mumbai police enforcement drives including deployment of electronic enforcement equipment such as speed guns under Section 136A of the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act 2019 have helped in a big wayExpertsrsquo opinionsPiyush Tewari CEO and founder SaveLIFE Foundation attributed the reduction in road crash fatalities to two key interventions ldquoThe first is enhanced and visible enforcement by the transport department via interceptors This is creating deterrence of violations and must be continued Enforcement especially at night hours must be carried out to ensure a more significant and sustained reduction in deathsrdquo he saidHe added ldquoThe second is redressal of engineering issues especially on key road corridors such as the MumbaiPune expressway and NH48 Districtlevel action led by collectors to address black spots has also given good results and must be continuedrdquo Nitin Dossa executive chairman of the Western India Automobile Association said the campaign should be continued in order to save livesA V Shenoy senior transport expert with the Mumbai Mobility Forum and Mumbai Vikas Samiti said ldquoWe need to have a road safety commissioner on the lines of the railway safety commissioner to look into the cause of every accident and take corrective and preventive actions in line with the ISO 9000 standard He must inspect the highway plan at the design stage and give his comments Without this inspection and certification the highway should not be thrown open for traffic Drivers must undergo periodic driving tests for the renewal of licencesrdquoSpeed killsRanjit Gadgil programme director at Parisar a body working on road safety and sustainable development stated that speed contributed to about 70 per cent of the total deaths in road crashes in 2021 as per the annual Road Accidents in India report ldquoReducing speed limits to safer levels along with effective enforcement and proper monitoring will help reduce the number of deaths in a short span of timerdquo he saidTransport expert and IIT engineer Sudhir Badami said ldquoIndia has a dubious record when it comes to road fatalities These fatalities occur because of incomplete design implementation or wearing off of some features such as road markings leading to crashes Adequate warning features such as yellow blinker lights and rumblers help prevent accidentsrdquo358No of talukas in state