Mumbai: The death of former Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry in a car crash has drawn attention to the road accidents in Maharashtra. Data released by the highway police on Tuesday says that over 59,000 people have died in road accidents in less than five years.
An economic survey of Maharashtra in 2021-2022 found that the state has 128 vehicles per kilometre of road length.
Various roads in Maharashtra together have witnessed 59,308 deaths in accidents since 2018. 9,121 fatalities were reported between January and July this year alone. At least 13,261 people died in road crashes in 2018, 12,788 in 2019, 11,569 in 2020 and 13,528 in 2021.
80,000 people have been seriously injured since 2018. 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 in 2022.
The state reported 35,717 accidents in 2018, followed by 32,925 in 2019, 24,971 in 2020, 29,477 in 2021 and 19,677 in 2022.
Last month, Shiv Sangram Party leader and former member of Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) Vinayak Mete died in an accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway. High-profile deaths have been drawing attention to road safety in the state.