Traffic officials and transport experts are worried that driving or riding on two-wheelers, auto rickshaws and even taxis will be riskier than usual this season, as their tyres aren&rsquo;t changed as often as they should be, making them susceptible to accidents on slippery rain-drenched roads. <img alt="" src="http://images.mid-day.com/2013/jun/CST-station.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 428px;" /> A girl treads carefully on the slippery road near CST station, after the city witnessed yet another spell of pre-monsoon showers yesterday. Pic/Shadab Khan And the condition of the roads yet to be prepped for monsoon by the BMC &ndash; doesn&rsquo;t seem to be helping. On Sunday night, the roads witnessed several freak accidents, with light vehicles like two-wheelers, auto rickshaws and mini-vans skidding and colliding with dividers, throwing motorists off-balance in some cases. Sources in the traffic police department said that after the season&rsquo;s first drizzle between 8.45 pm and 9 pm, several vehicles began skidding on the Western Express Highway (WEH). Auto drivers were seen struggling to control their vehicles. &ldquo;Auto rickshaw and taxi drivers don&rsquo;t change tyres often enough or take their vehicles for servicing before the start of monsoon. This often causes vehicles to skid on the roads,&rdquo; said A Shenoy, a transport expert. Members from the Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) said that they are planning to start a mechanism for automatic inspection of vehicles soon. &ldquo;Many immature drivers don&rsquo;t maintain their vehicles properly. Most of the tyres found on auto rickshaws and taxis are old &ndash; they skid easily in the first rains,&rdquo; said Nitin Dossa of WIAA. Mumbai Taximen&rsquo;s Union leader AL Quadros said, &ldquo;Taxi drivers wait for the last moment to change tyres just before monsoon.&rdquo; A traffic official pleaded, &ldquo;We want motorists to realise that they shouldn&rsquo;t speed during the first showers, as the oil and debris lying on the streets make them slippery.&rdquo; &ldquo;Earlier, auto drivers used to remould their tyres, but nowadays they change them. Oil, grease and dust on the roads make the vehicles skid,&rdquo; said Shashank Rao, member of Mumbai Autorickshawmen&rsquo;s Union. Meanwhile, the early showers have thrown BMC&rsquo;s late pre-monsoon roadwork out of gear. While civic authorities had claimed that all the departments would complete pre-monsoon work by June 7, the disruptions caused by the early showers have forced them to take a reality check. The city is far from ready to face the battering of the rains, as desilting and other works are yet to be completed. What&rsquo;s more, silt dredged up from drains hasn&rsquo;t been disposed of appropriately, causing it to flow back into the nullahs with rainwater. D R Dixit, chief engineer of the roads department, said, &ldquo;The pothole repair work will start now, as the first showers have arrived. The pre-monsoon work will continue till June 7, whenever there is no rain.&rdquo; (Inputs from Chetna Yerunkar)u00a0

The long-waited monsoon has finally arrived, but has brought with it inevitable hazards in the form of road accidents

First showers throw motorcycles, civic body's pre-monsoon plans off gear

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Home / News / India News / Article / First showers throw motorcycles, civic body's pre-monsoon plans off gear

First showers throw motorcycles, civic body's pre-monsoon plans off gear

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