Rising Death Toll On Mumbai-Pune Expressway Sparks Concern
Pune, 17th July 2023: The Mumbai-Pune Expressway continues to witness a disturbing surge in fatalities caused by severe accidents. Despite the efforts of social organizations, highway police, and the transport department, Maharashtra state government’s measures to prevent accidents on the expressway have proven inadequate.
In the year 2020-2021, the lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a slight reduction in accidents and deaths. However, the subsequent years have seen an alarming increase in both.
In 2022, there were a total of 198 accidents, claiming the lives of 92 individuals in 73 fatal accidents. Shockingly, in 2018, the number of accidents were 359, with 114 fatalities. Similarly, in 2019, there were 353 accidents, resulting in 92 deaths in 74 fatal accidents.
Although there was a temporary decrease in accidents and deaths during the lockdown, the year 2022 saw a concerning rise in fatalities despite a decrease in the total number of accidents.
Disturbing statistics for accidents and deaths have already emerged in the first six months of this year, from January to June. Within this period, there have been a total of 70 accidents, claiming the lives of 37 individuals in 26 fatal accidents.
Additionally, 54 individuals suffered serious injuries and disabilities in 20 severe accidents, while 19 people were injured in seven minor accidents. Fortunately, 17 accidents resulted in no casualties. If concrete measures are not implemented by the state government on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in the near future, the number of accidents is likely to increase again in the coming months.
The rising death toll calls for immediate action to improve safety measures and address the root causes of accidents on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
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