PANAJI
The deaths of two youngsters in a head-on collision between two two-wheelers have once again cast a grim focus on road safety and traffic discipline, especially among the youths.
In this latest accident on Thursday, 22-year-old homeopathy student Isha Gawas from Kelwada, Sattari and 20-year-old Aditya Dessai of Bethora died on the spot when their bikes collided head-on near the four-way junction on the Curti-Borim bypass.
Ponda resident Yogesh Patil (22), who was riding pillion with Aditya, suffered critical injuries while Isha’s pillion rider, Aditi Manjrekar (22) from Parye, escaped with multiple fractures. Pernem police said Aditya was allegedly riding in the wrong lane, which led to the fatal collision.
The incident has evoked strong concern as it occurred amid a series of accidents involving young riders in Goa.
Just two days prior, 22-year-old Avinash Math of Parra was injured in a self-accident on the Mopa link road while heading to the airport.
Last month, 19-year-old Faraaz Naik of Socorro-Porvorim died in an accident near a land casino in Porvorim with police yet to confirm if it was a hit-and-run or a self-accident.
In May, 21-year-old Sairaj Morajkar of Karaswada-Mapusa succumbed to head injuries after losing control of his motorcycle at Bastora. While each accident report has cited the cause of these accidents, traffic police officials said that not respecting traffic laws (being a major contributing factor) and to some extent road infrastructure have resulted in mishaps.
According to the Goa police’s annual accident analysis report, 286 people lost their lives in 2,682 road accidents in 2024. Of these, 130 victims -- nearly 46 percent -- were youths below the age of 35. The toll included 113 men and 17 women. The highest proportion of fatalities was in the 25–35 age group with 63 deaths, followed closely by 61 deaths among those aged 18–25.
Six minors under 18 also lost their lives. Another 1,041 people were injured with a majority being males.
While 2024 showed a marginal decline from 2023 -- with four fewer deaths and 164 fewer accidents -- the numbers remain deeply unsettling. Among the injured, 315 were in the 25–35 age group, while 224 were aged 18–25.
“Despite ongoing campaigns, the number of reckless, high-speed or wrong-side driving cases remains worryingly high,” a traffic official said justifying that traffic police assisted by khaki-force have been enforcing strict traffic laws across major places including manning vehicular traffic during the peak hours.
