Pedestrians accounted for more than half of all road accident fatalities recorded on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway (NH-48) between Dahisar and Ashad in Palghar from January to July this year, according to a survey conducted by the Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) traffic police.
The 38-kilometre stretch of NH-48 under the MBVV police jurisdiction recorded 47 road accident deaths during the first seven months of the year.
Of these, 24 victims were pedestrians, with many of the fatal incidents occurring between 4 pm and 10 pm as people attempted to cross the highway.
The traffic police conducted the survey following a major accident in May near Dhaniware in Palghar. A head-on collision between a container truck and a tempo, reportedly travelling on the wrong side of the highway, left 13 people dead and 17 injured.
According to the survey, the same NH-48 stretch witnessed 135 accidents in 2025, resulting in 103 deaths. During the first seven months of the current year, 47 fatalities were recorded.
Police have identified at least 12 accident-prone black spots along the highway.
Of the 47 deaths recorded this year:
Traffic officials said the presence of numerous small-scale industrial units along the highway contributes to significant pedestrian movement. Many of these establishments employ residents from nearby areas, increasing the number of people who need to cross or walk along the busy highway.
Police said several crashes were linked to overspeeding, violation of lane discipline and inadequate safety measures on the highway.
An MBVV traffic officer also raised concerns about changes made during the concretisation of NH-48. According to the officer, the road level increased by around six inches, reducing the effective height of guardrails on some flyovers. In certain locations, speeding vehicles have reportedly fallen from bridges.
The officer also recommended increasing the dimensions of rumble strips to improve their effectiveness. The suggested changes include increasing their height from around 3mm to 15mm and widening them from 2 metres to 4 metres.
In the first week of August, the MBVV traffic police submitted a detailed report to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The report included accident statistics, identified causes and recommendations to improve road safety.
Police also submitted a list of 142 encroachment locations between Virar and Palghar, seeking action to improve traffic movement and pedestrian safety.
To reduce pedestrian-related accidents, senior traffic police inspector Mahesh Shyete has been visiting schools and colleges to educate students about safe pedestrian practices. Senior traffic police inspector (Vasai) Prashant Langi has also been making public announcements along the highway, urging pedestrians not to cross the road at unsafe locations.
Langi suggested installing high-definition cameras at 500-metre intervals along NH-48. The cameras could help identify speeding motorists and monitor lane discipline among heavy vehicles.
Suhas Chitnis, Project Director at NHAI, confirmed that the authority had received the MBVV traffic police report.
According to Chitnis, a new agency has been appointed to implement safety improvements at accident-prone locations along the highway. Planned measures include the installation of rumble strips, directional signs and road reflectors.
NHAI also plans to begin work on raising the height of median dividers to improve safety.
With pedestrians accounting for more than 60% of the deaths recorded on this section of NH-48 this year, authorities are now focusing on improving pedestrian safety, controlling vehicle speeds and addressing infrastructure deficiencies along the accident-prone highway corridor.
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