Mumbai, Jun 17 (PTI) In a bid to bring down the number of road accidents, the regional transport office (RTO) here on Friday inaugurated a two-wheeler simulator to train persons seeking driving licences, an official said.

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Speaking on the occasion, state transport commissioner Avinash Dhakane said they will explore the possibility of providing two-wheeler simulators to other RTO offices in the state, as the number of people applying for two-wheeler licences is high.

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The RTO at Tardeo already has two simulators for motorists training to drive four-wheelers.

The simulator has been installed by United Way Mumbai (UWM), an NGO, under its “Two Wheels One Life” road safety initiative. As per the road crash data analysis carried out in 2021, 350 people died in road crashes in Mumbai, of which 166 (50 per cent) were two-wheeler riders, said Bharat Kalaskar, regional transport officer at Tardeo RTO said.

“We need to concentrate on two-wheelers, especially pillions riders, which is why we have made helmets compulsory for them,” Kalaskar said.

The road accident statistics in India reveal that two-wheeler riders form 46 per cent of the fatalities, making them vulnerable road users. Moreover, there is a dearth of professional training facilities for two-wheeler riders in the country, said George Aikara, CEO of UWM.

According to UWM, the training centre where the two-wheeler simulator is installed, correctly evaluates applicants' driving abilities, knowledge of traffic rules and understanding of pedestrian safety.

As on March 31, 2022, Mumbai's vehicle population stood at 42.85 lakh and of these, 25.41 lakh are two-wheelers, followed by 12.45 lakh four-wheelers and 2.33 lakh autorickshaws, among other vehicles, the RTO data stated.

Ajay Govale, vice president UWM, said the NGO will also station professional trainers at the RTO office to ensure that applicants are trained well and have cleared the simulator test prior to getting their licences.

The NGO also plans to install one two-wheeler simulator each at RTOs in Andheri and Thane.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)