Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai (SHP)
Mumbai, Jan 28: The number of accidents on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway has dipped by 43%. While 151 deaths were reported to have occurred in 2016 (Jan to Dec), over 86 deaths were observed in 2019 as per the report by 'Zero Fatality Corridor Project' released on Monday.
The project is a joint initiative of the state's road agency, MSRDC, the state highway police, Mahindra & Mahindra and Save Life Foundation a non-profit organisation. The primary objective of the project is to lower the number of deaths on the Expressway.
The report records deaths by accident to be 105 in 2017 and 110 in 2018. Actress Shabana Azmi was injured in an accident that took place on the Expressway. Already, a pilot project by the state is underway to deploy two drones for surveillance at the 30-40km marker in a few weeks.
Piyush Tewari, founder and CEO of SaveLifeFoundation, said, “We still have some way to go to achieve zero preventable fatalities but our strong partnership with various state government agencies gives us the confidence to carry on till we get there."
The maximum number of fatal crashes were observed during the early morning hours between 3 am and 6 am.
More for An official from SaveLife Foundation said that the monthly average of fatalities per million vehicles dipped from 3.50 in 2016 to 1.69 in 2019. “The average monthly vehicle count on the E-way went up from 36 lakh in 2016 to 42 lakh in 2019”
A V Shenoy of Mumbai Mobility Forum calling the deaths a major concern demanded to discipline drivers of trucks and other heavy vehicles to avert major mishaps.