Mumbai Traffic Police’s Joint Commissioner, Praveen Padwal, announced on Tuesday that approximately 8,000 cases of speeding are reported in the city every month. The announcement was made at the launch of the ‘Slow Down- Speed Observation Study Report’.
The report is an initiative of United Way Mumbai, a non-profit organization, in collaboration with Mumbai Police’s Traffic Control Branch and IIT Bombay.
During his address, Padwal highlighted that last year, 364 road crash cases were reported in Mumbai, and pedestrians were involved in 44 percent of these cases. Two-wheelers were involved in 35 percent of the cases, and pillion riders in 10 percent.
He emphasized that this data has prompted the Traffic Police to take strict enforcement measures against rule violators. Transport Commissioner of Maharashtra, Vivek Bhimanwa, who was also present at the event, emphasized that road safety is critical for achieving the dream of becoming a global power. He further mentioned that he has proposed making the offense of rash driving and those committed by repeat offenders “non-bailable” to the government.
The report was based on a survey conducted at 20 different locations across the city. Contributing factors to road crashes were identified as speeding, unregulated merging sections, lack of adequate infrastructure, and illegal parking. Padwal also mentioned that the Traffic Police has been taking strict action against drunken driving and has taken action against 242 drunk drivers in the last three months. He urged citizens to adopt a responsible attitude toward road safety.
