According to reports, after the coronavirus-induced lockdown imposed last year, road accidents have again increased this year.
Moreover, reports state that deaths due to accidents declined by 39 per cent from 233 in January-June 2019 to 141 in the same period in 2020. However, in the first six months of 2021, the number of road crash deaths rose to 159, a 13 per cent increase which enforcement agencies attribute to higher pedestrian and vehicular movement compared to the full lockdown.
Amidst the pandemic and the possible thread of the COVID-19 third wave, the need for social distancing still persists. In addition, experts have stated that the citizens of Mumbai should resort to walking and cycling more when possible instead of taking the car.
On the other hand, in the last year, 131 accidents have occurred involving the Shivsahi buses which are owned by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). Moreover, at least five people have been killed and 126 injured in these accidents. Back in 2017, the MSRTC had introduced these buses. However, from April 2018 to March 2019, there were about 221 accidents involving these buses. The number was 240 the previous year.
Meanwhile, at present ST has a fleet of 900 owned buses and 400 leased buses. According to sources, accidents like speeding, overtaking, etc. have been reported from the very beginning. While driving Shivshahi, ST drivers were facing problems from the very beginning. This raised a big question about driver training. Therefore, the corporation has started training the drivers of these buses in phases since they came into service.
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