The latest data published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in connection to the traffic accidents in India has revealed that Maharashtra has recorded the second-highest number of deaths in terms of total traffic accident deaths recorded in 2020. Maharashtra recorded 13,940 deaths last year, in 24,908 accident cases, wherein 17,957 people had sustained injuries.
According to the data, of the 24,908 traffic accidents recorded last year, 22,211 were road traffic accidents while 2,697 were railway accidents. The data revealed that of the 22,211 road traffic accidents, 17,165 people had sustained injuries and 12,018 people had succumbed in the accidents. Meanwhile, of the 2,697 railway accidents, 792 people had sustained injuries and 1,922 people had died.
According to the NCRB data, Maharashtra stood second in terms of total traffic accident fatalities with 13,940 deaths after Uttar Pradesh, wherein of the 30,593 accidents, 21,156 people had died and 16,069 people had sustained injuries. The state of Maharashtra has seen maximum deaths of 15,245 out of 49,225 under the ‘Sudden Deaths’ category.
The financial capital, Mumbai, recorded fewer traffic accident deaths when compared to other mega cities, as only 418 people had died in 418 accident cases, wherein 75 people had sustained injuries. Maximum numbers of accidental deaths 5,221 were reported in Mumbai accounting for 10.3 per cent of total deaths, followed by Delhi (3,994 deaths), Bengaluru (3,644 deaths), Pune (2,599 deaths), Nagpur (2,258 deaths), and Surat (2,119 deaths).
As per the NCRB data, among 53 cities, Mumbai (5,220) accounted for 10.4 per cent of total deaths reported under ‘Other’ accidents followed by Delhi (3,992) and Bengaluru (3,644) which accounted for 8.0 per cent and 7.3 per cent respectively during 2020.
Evening peak hours most fatal
The data released by the NCRB has revealed that in Maharashtra, the most number of accidents in 2020 were recorded during the peak evening time between 6 pm and 9 pm, in which 4,365 accidents had taken place of the total 22,211 accidents.
The NCRB figures revealed that the time between 6 pm and 9 pm was the worst for road traffic deaths, followed by 3-6 pm, which recorded 3,712 accidents, 12-3 pm with 3,369 accidents, 9 am to 12 pm with 3,058 accidents. Maharashtra recorded 2,655 accidents between 9 pm and midnight, followed by 2,301 accidents between 6 am and 9 am.
Meanwhile, 1,442 accidents were recorded between midnight and 3 am. The least number of road accidents recorded last year in Maharashtra were between 3 am and 6 am, where only 1,299 accidents had occurred.
According to the data, three types of vehicles were the major causes of road traffic accidents in 2020, wherein 1,764 deaths because of trucks/lorries in Maharashtra, 553 offenders had succumbed while 1,211 victims had died. Similarly, of the 269 deaths because of the bus as a mode of transport, 65 offenders had died while 204 victims succumbed to their injuries. Last year, in Maharashtra of the 172 deaths because of SUV/Station wagons, 48 were the drivers while the remaining 124 were that of the victims, revealed the NCRB data.
