In an effort to reduce road accidents and fatalities, Maharashtra has announced that 1 per cent of all civic budgets will be allocated for road safety.
With this initiative, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is likely to set aside about INR 520 crore, while other civic bodies in the state will also need to keep 1% of their budgets aside ranging from INR 150 to 200 crores.
The funds will be used to fill potholes, address dark spots, add lamps, illuminated signboards, and put message boards for safety measures. The state transportation department conducted an internal assessment and found that accidents and fatalities occur on all major city thoroughfares, interstates, state highways, and at every Regional Transport Office.
To reduce accidents and fatalities, and identify "black spots", each of the 50 RTOs will designate a team consisting of 5-7 members. The team will work to reduce traffic fatalities and accidents in various districts, identify problem areas. It will keep tabs on the actions taken by various civic organisations in each district.
According to statistics, Maharashtra currently has 1,004 black spots, and sensitive areas where accidents are likely to happen are being identified. However, accidents and fatalities have increased between January and March 2022 and 2023, with a 20 per cent rise in fatalities in March 2022 and 2023 compared to February.
When comparing two years' worth of data, the overall number of accidents and fatalities in 2023 has decreased by 12 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively. Around 48 per cent of all fatalities in the state involve two-wheeler riders, followed by collisions involving pedestrians.
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