Nagpur: From the Mercedes accident in Nagpur to the Porsche accident in Pune and another Skoda car accident back in Nagpur, drivers who have taken several innocent lives all had one thing in common – they were all driving under the influence of liquor.
Despite public appeals and the police’s ‘so-called’ strict actions against drunk driving, some offenders have failed to deter such activities. In fact, according to data shared by the Nagpur Traffic Department, cases have quadrupled in the last year.
In 2024, the number of cases against drunk drivers increased almost fourfold, from 283 last year to 902 this year. Drunk driving led to 16 accidents, including six fatal ones, claiming seven lives and injuring 22 others, as revealed by data shared by the Nagpur Traffic Department.
As of June 18, 2024, a total of 161 people have lost their lives in various road accidents across the Second Capital of the State. These incidents have also left 471 people severely injured and many of their family members mentally scarred.
The data revealed that among the 10 traffic zones in the city, roads in the Ajni and MIDC zones are more prone to road accidents. The Ajni zone recorded 98 accidents, while the MIDC zone, with heavy traffic movement, witnessed 71 road accidents. In contrast, the Cotton Market zone, which has more vehicular traffic compared to the other two zones, saw only 14 accidents.
Despite the city having over 800 km of footpath network, pedestrians remain the most vulnerable to road accidents. In the past five months, 50 pedestrians were killed on the roads, while 83 two-wheeler riders lost their lives.
A closer examination of the causes of accidents revealed that wrong-side driving remains a major concern. The city traffic police have registered FIRs against almost 450 drivers. Despite penalizing 3,441 motorists, wrong-side driving led to 12 accidents so far this year, claiming three lives.
Other causes, including overtaking, driver error, bad roads, mechanical defects, etc., contributed to 332 accidents, claiming 111 lives and injuring 301 others, according to traffic police data.
– Shubham Nagdeve
