It is better to place life over speed, Mumbai!

Chedda Nagar junction had the maximum number of accidents in 2020. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

Mumbai's need for speed is well known. Bikers and motorists zooming around the city during the night, putting themselves and others in danger are a common sight.

A report in this paper has stated that the city has 13 killer spots. These spots have witnessed 22 deaths and left 70 seriously injured in the past year alone. Last year's figures are low owing to the pandemic and the lockdown, but are worrying nevertheless.

We are all well-acquainted with the city's topography that ends up costing motorists hours spent in traffic jams or at signals. This means the urge to step on the gas is tempting when even a half-empty road opens up. This has been cited by a traffic policeman as one of the reasons for the horrific accidents.

The Chedda Nagar Junction in Chembur is at the absolute top of the list of killer roads in Mumbai. The traffic police say this junction is almost always busy except for a few hours in the morning when vehicular movement is low. This is also when most of the accidents occur.

The report mentions a surprising fact about another spot near Mankhurd, though. The presence of a signal that has been causing the accidents. This signal was needed when the Octroi naka was functional, to slow down heavy vehicles. With Octroi abolished, there is zero use for this signal now, say traffic police, and it is ending up causing accidents as motorists suddenly brake on spotting it while exiting the Navi Mumbai bridge. So what are they waiting for? A couple of hundred more deaths before they act?

Citizens, too, need to control this urge to speed, as killing oneself is one thing, but we have no right to take others with us. Speeding gives us mere seconds, definitely not worth ending the rest of our time here on earth.