The Mumbai Police is known for its proactive approach towards day-to-day problems. Apart from the menace of crime and theft that the department deals with, the police is also responsible for the traffic management, including the safety of the commuters. For the same, the police take several measures, which also comprise of imposing fine on individuals breaking traffic rules for not wearing helmets/seat belts, jumping traffic signals, driving/riding on the wrong lane, and much more.
However, the statistics show that the incumbent rules have not been enough to control or stop the violations, which lead to accidents, and sometime deaths.
What does the data say…
Road accidents in Mumbai rose by 15% during the first half of 2021, compared to the number of accidents during the corresponding period the last year. At the same time, deaths due to accidents in the state increased by 22% between January and June 2021.
As per statistics, for the period of January to June 2021, there were around 14,245 accident cases reported in the state. In the same period, 6,708 accidental death were reported, while 10,879 people were injured.
“Mumbai contributed around 6.7% cases, with 956 accidents, 131 deaths and 809 people reported injured,” said a police officer from the state Highway Police department.
Drunk driving is another violation that takes several lives each year, despite the stringent fines against it. Since 2014, 61 people have been killed and more than 200 seriously injured in drink driving accidents in Mumbai till May 2019. At least 154 people suffered minor injuries in the accidents.
According to Mumbai Police’s own statistics, in year 2021, 2,192 accidents were recorded, in which 307 were fatal leading to 316 deaths, 1,363 were serious, and others resulted in slight or no injury. The traffic police also took action on 21,81,628 motorists for various offences and have recovered ₹56.16 crores in the form of e-challan.
In another statistic that should be paid heed to, more than a third (37%) of those killed in road accidents in 2019 were two-wheeler riders. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ report published in October 2020 showed that six two-wheeler riders die every hour in road accidents.
Mumbai Traffic Police take up unique campaign
According to experts, more crashes and deaths are resulting from no/unsafe helmets among other reasons. Just correct helmet use could reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 42% and head injuries by 69%, a World Health Organization report said.
To tackle the issue at hand, the Mumbai Traffic Police have now initiated a unique campaign to spread awareness about road safety. This campaign, as per the Mumbai traffic police, aims to generate a social behavioral change in Mumbaikars.
The interesting facet of the campaign is that it talks about real-life stories of people who had to suffer accidents due to negligence. In collation of real life stories, the Mumbai traffic police tend to use this campaign to send the message home. The stories comprise of those who suffered major injuries after not wearing seat belt, those who died in an accident after not wearing a helmet, those who died in an accident because they were driving on the wrong lane, and many more.
The stories are real, so are the victims. And the message this campaign aims to send, is very much real and necessary too. The campaign highlights the impact that negligence or violation of traffic rules has made on people’s lives, sometimes even resulting into loss of lives. The campaign, with the personal touch, aims to incite an emotional trigger in the audience, forcing them to ponder upon the stories and act responsibly thereafter.
For the period of this campaign, multiple hoardings would be put up across the city at major junctures. The hoardings will be both in English and Marathi, narrating one story at a time of a victim who suffered due to negligence or violation of traffic rules.
Below are some of the examples of hoardings the Mumbai Traffic Police would be putting up in the city:
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