MARGAO: Police analysis has revealed that 98.23 percent of accidents in Goa in the last ten months were due to rash and negligent driving, with the National Highway accounting for 40.37 percent of accidents. Motorcyclists constituted the highest number of road users killed, with 166 fatalities, representing 70.64 percent.
In the first ten months of this year, a total of 235 fatal accidents occurred in Goa, of which 131 took place in South Goa. Car accidents accounted for 41.83 percent, followed by two-wheelers at 40.50 percent.
The police analysis showed that 1,446 accidents occurred during the day, while 922 occurred at night. Straight roads accounted for 77.36 percent of accidents, and curved roads for 12.42 percent. The highest number of accidents occurred between 7 and 8 pm, with Mondays and Sundays recording the highest percentages at 17.78 percent and 15.37 percent, respectively.
In South Goa, Verna reported the highest number of fatal and minor accidents at 211, followed by Maina-Curtorim with 168. The maximum fatalities in South Goa occurred at Verna (20 persons), Ponda (16), Vasco (16), and Maina Curtorim (14).
Regarding specific vehicle types, Verna reported the highest number of bus accidents (14), while Ponda recorded the most truck accidents (31), followed by Maina-Curtorim (18), Canacona (15), Verna (13), and Cuncolim (10).
For car accidents, Verna led with 154 incidents, followed by Maina-Curtorim (95), Ponda (83), and Cuncolim (68). In the two-wheeler category, Maina- Curtorim reported the highest number of accidents (145), followed by Ponda (113), Verna (111), and Fatorda (92) in the first ten months.
The police department has suggested strict enforcement and effective traffic control, emphasizing the presence of police personnel on national highways, state highways, and other roads to reduce accidents and fatalities.
They recommended focusing on booking major traffic offenders rather than issuing petty Motor Vehicle cases solely to increase the number of challans. The police also proposed conducting special drives at accident-prone zones to decrease accidents and fatalities.
Comparatively, in the same period last year, there were 217 fatal accidents in Goa, with 121 in South Goa. The total number of accidents, including fatal accidents, has seen a slight dip; 2,368 in the past ten months this year, while 2,495 accidents were reported in the same period last year.
