More than 59,000 people have died and 80,000 seriously injured in road accidents in Maharashtra in less than five years, the data released by the highway police revealed on Tuesday.
The state has witnessed 59,308 deaths in road accidents since the beginning of 2018, including 9,121 fatalities reported between January and July this year, it stated.
As per the data, at least 13,261 people died in road crashes in 2018, 12,788 in 2019, 11,569 in 2020 and 13,528 in 2021.
The road casualties have come into focus after the recent high-profile accidents witnessed on state roads.
Former Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry was killed in a car crash on Mumbai-Ahmedadad highway near Palghar on Sunday, while Shiv Sangram Party leader and former member of Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) Vinayak Mete died in an accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway last month.
Maharashtra reported 35,717 accidents in 2018, followed by 32,925 in 2019, 24,971 in 2020, 29,477 in 2021 and 19,677 in the last seven months, the data highlights.
The data also revealed that 20,335 people were seriously injured in accidents in 2018, followed by 19,152 in 2019, 13,971 in 2020, 16,073 in 2021 and 11,584 between January and July, this year.
As per the economic survey of Maharashtra 2021-22, with 4.09 crore vehicles on roads on January 1 this year, the state has 128 vehicles per kilometer of road length.
(With PTI inputs)
