New data from the Maharashtra Highway Police revealed that in 2023, more than 15,000 people were killed in fatal road accidents, with 20,860 left seriously injured. The total number of accidents has increased by 2.2% in 2023 to 34,114, compared to the previous year where 33,383 accidents had taken place. The two major expressways, connecting Mumbai to Pune and Nagpur, witnessed a handful of accidents and fatalities.
Numbers can’t decipher if the situation is getting better or worse
Going by the statistics of the overall outlook of casualties and injuries in road accidents in Maharashtra, the numbers can’t decipher if the situation is getting better or worse. For example, the number of fatal accidents in 2023 was 13,781, while the fatality was 15,009, which is less than in 2022, where it was 12,250. However, the number of fatal accidents was up 2% in 2022 at 14,058.
Similarly, in case accidents lead to serious injuries, in 2023, the numbers were 13,335 while in 2022 it was 12,250. The number of people injured in these accidents was 20,860 in 2023 and 19,540 in 2022.
‘Minor injury accidents’ increased
The figures for ‘minor injury accidents’ have increased with the number of accidents being 4,564 in 2023 and 4,442 in 2022, while the number of injured stands at 8,012 in 2023 and 7,699 in 2022.
The Samruddhi Mahamarg, aka Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway, which is just 2 years old, has already witnessed over 1,239 accidents with 141 deaths from December 2022 to December 2023. The number of accidents, non-fatal, stands at 526 with the total number of injured – minor and major – was 1,110. Samruddhi Mahamarg is divided into four ranges – Nagpur, Aurangabad, Pune and Thane, and out of the four, the maximum accident-prone range was Nagpur – with 656 accidents taking place from December 2022 to October 2023, and the greatest number of road-kill, standing at 80, was also at Nagpur.
At the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, connecting Raigad-Navi Mumbai-Mumbai, the situation of accidents seems to be improving compared to the previous two years. In 2023, the total number of accidents was reported to be 153, while in 2022 it was 198, and in 2021 it was at 200. If talking about ‘fatal’ accidents at this expressway, 2023 saw 63 deaths, which is less than 2022 and 2021 with 92 and 88, respectively. The number of accidents, non-fatal, too has reduced with just 41 in 2023, compared to 52 and 54 in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The number of people injured in these accidents was 94 in 2023, 144 in 2022, and 146 in 2021.
