Mumbai: Of total road deaths, 47% constitued by two-wheelers

Two wheeler helps in zipping through congested roads and driving all zigzag; but it comes at a cost. Of the total number of road deaths, 47 per cent is constituted by two-wheelers like motorbikes and scooters. In fact the number of deaths is on a rise; between 2014-16, the number of deaths due to two-wheeler accidents rose from 39 per cent to 47 per cent.

As per the recent statistics and figures compiled by the Maharashtra Transport Department, the number of accidents involving two wheeler is on a rise. This has left the state government worried. "The number of two wheelers registering at the RTOs are rising. These riders barely follow traffic rules," said Diwakar Raote, state Transport minister.

At this point of time, of the total number of vehicles registered in Maharashtra, 73 percent of them are two wheeler. "The total fatalities of those rising bikes and scooters are on a rise and this needs to be addressed soon," said Dhawal Ashar, manager (sustainable cities), WRI India who made presentation on August 13 about road accidents.

This is despite the fact that on Express highways the two wheeler are disallowed. The statistics shows that the riders are prone to deaths as their numbers have increased from 26 percent in 2014 to 30 percent in 2016.

"The two wheeler cannot coexist on roads where trucks and buses ply heavily. Moreover the issue is that bikers ride two wheeler with an element of macho-ism and variety of influence. They treat it as a sport, breach all traffic rules and in the bargain end up in accidents," said Ashok Datar, transport expert. The bikers are known for over taking from wrong sides where road space is limited.

On a broader scale, if one sees the total number of fatalities has come down from 12935 in 2016 to 12264 in 2017 across Maharashtra; but it stood at 12194 in 2013. If we look at Mumbai, the number of those killed in road accidents have dropped from 496 in 2013 to 490 in 2017; while most deaths at 529 happened in 2014.