Mumbai: In a bid to bring down the number of accidents on state highways, police have initiated a special drive, wherein heavy vehicles are stopped near toll nakas and drivers are educated about the traffic rules. Moreover, reflector lights are also installed on their vehicles to avert any further accidents, said an official. Additionally, stringent action is also taken against illegal parking of vehicles on the highways.
Since the last few months, it was observed that a number of motorists, especially heavy vehicles, were speeding and violating several traffic laws. To become a deterrent in breaking laws, the Highway State Police took up this initiative as a part of a special drive. Awareness programs were set up near Khalapur Toll Naka on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, National Highway 66 and 48, said an official.
"The heavy vehicles near Khalapur, Hamrapur and Karjat Phata were intercepted and reflectors were installed on them. Moreover, traffic rule flyers were distributed among the motorists to motivate safe driving and aim at minimal accidents," said a highway traffic officer. Drivers of heavy vehicles were asked to drive on the left lane and not in the first lane, which is meant for high speed light motor vehicles.
As per the statistics provided by the highway police, road accidents claimed the lives of 13,261 people in the state in 2018, of which 80 per cent were caused due to human errors. Pedestrians, two-wheeler riders and cyclists together comprise 66 per cent of the fatalities, the data said.
An official said that just awareness is not going to work; a change in behavioral pattern is also needed. The main targets for this awareness are four-wheeler and commercial heavy vehicles. The Maharashtra Highway Police have also launched a mobile application for its personnel to collect and analyse the data related to road accidents in the state.
