Two-wheeler deaths up by a quarter in a year

Out of the 472 citizens who died in different accidents in Pune city and Pimpri-Chinchwad in 2008,224 were two-wheeler riders This is much higher than in 2007 when only 180 died.

The traffic cops pin the blame on careless,drunken,negligent and rash driving. In the same,breath they point out the 51 accident spots in the city where traffic engineering remained largely ignored.

Chaotic traffic junctions,says Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Manoj Patil,are primarily responsible for the increasing number of accidents. “At several traffic junctions,you will find electricity poles right on the road or a tree protruding on the busy thoroughfare. Besides indiscriminate parking,lack of proper illumination is another bane of traffic junctions. Here traffic engineering,which is the role of the civic bodies,has been ignored,” he said.

“From Sadanand Hotel to HEMRL in Pashan,which is a distance of 7 km,one person has died in two years while 14 persons have died on the 3 km stretch between HEMRL and Chandni Chowk. Without anybody’s permission,citizens have broken dividers on the HEMRL-Chandni Chowk stretch,” he added.

The traffic police have identified Moshi Phata,the spot near Indira Institute in Wakad,Alandi Road,Jedhe Chowk in Swargate,Nashik Phata Chowk,Bhosari Bhowk as “deadly spots”. “On the narrow and ill-lit Alandi Road,15 people died last year,” Patil said.

Police Inspector Vijay Palsure says that the traffic police have started rigorously implementing Section 184 (rash driving) and 185 (drunken driving) of the Motor Vehicles Act. “We now lock up errant drivers for at least a day,” he said.

Chandmal Parmar,a traffic expert and chairman of the Rajashri Parmar Medical Foundation,said that deaths on two-wheelers are avoidable only if the riders resort to defensive driving,which means ensuring their own safety themselves.

Prashant Inamdar,another expert,made three recommendationss: don’t use cell phones while riding,avoid sudden acceleration and sudden braking,and curb the adventure spirit.

“These are measures for two-wheeler riders,who should avoid over-speeding in short bursts and should not compete with other vehicles in a bid to prove their supremacy on the roads as done in advertisements,” Inamdar said.