Maharashtra: Sharp rise in road accidents in 2024 when compared to 2023, fatalities see minor dip

Mumbai, Jan 30 (PTI) Maharashtra's provisional accident data has shown that the number of road accidents increased sharply in 2024 when compared to 2023, while fatalities witnessed a minor dip.

The rise in accidents on Mumbai-Pune Expressway was a sizable 19 per cent, though the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway saw a drop of 4 per cent, provisional data compiled by the highway police showed.

Maharashtra, the country's most industrialised state, has more than 3.8 crore vehicles.

The state witnessed 841 more accidents and 31 fewer fatalities in 2024 as compared to 2023, it showed.

"In 2024, the state recorded 36,084 accidents, while the figure was 35,243 accidents in 2023. The number of fatalities dropped to 15,335 in 2024 from 15,366 in 2023. The dip in the number of fatalities is 0.20 per cent, while the rise in the number of accidents is 2.38 per cent," as per the highway police data.

"Nine districts and cities have reported more than 10 per cent surge in fatalities. The highest 25 percent surge in fatalities was observed in Dhule district, followed by 23.4 per cent in Sindhudurg. A total of 24 districts and cities, including Mumbai, witnessed drop in fatalities. But only four cities and districts recorded a drop in fatalities of more than 10 per cent," it added.

Wardha district has recorded the highest drop in fatalities at 29.2 per cent, followed by 15.9 per cent in Nashik city, while Washim was the only district where fatalities in the two years remained static.

"Mumbai-Pune Expressway witnessed 184 total accidents in 2024 as against 154 in 2023. However, there was a sharp 26 per cent rise in fatalities and 23 per cent increase in the number of fatal accidents. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway witnessed 70 fatal accidents and 82 fatalities in 2024 as against 57 fatal accidents and 65 fatalities in 2023," as per data.

Moreover, the number of serious accidents has gone up by 41 per cent and minor accidents by 39 per cent on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, which was the first access-controlled corridor in the country.

The Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway recorded 128 accidents in 2024 as compared to 134 in 2023. Only the Nagpur-Igatpuri (near Nashik) section of the expressway is operational at present.

"The expressway has seen drop of 29 per cent in fatalities and 2 per cent dip in fatal accidents. On the expressway, 107 people lost their lives in 79 fatal accidents in 2024, as compared to 151 fatalities in 81 accidents in 2023," the highway police data showed.

On the highway, the number of serious accidents increased by 35 per cent, while minor accidents dropped by 55 per cent. PTI KK BNM