Manish Gajbhiye
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
As many as 752 accidents were reported on the Samruddhi expressway from December 11 to March 31. In the fatal accidents, 29 have been reported dead while 282 were injured. Moreover, the maximum accidents reported were due to overspeeding than the prescribed speed limit, said the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) superintending engineer Ramdas Khalse.
Samruddhi e-way start operation on December 11, last year from Nagpur to Shirdi. The work from Shirdi to Mumbai is yet to be completed. However, the road gained bad fame due to several accidents that occurred on the road due to various reasons.
The accidents reported were due to loss of control of the driver on the vehicle, sleepiness, tyre burst, overspeeding, failure of vehicles, etc. The experts opined that the vehicles with steel wheels expand due to overheating on the roads and hence the tyres burst. Hence, alloy wheel vehicles should be preferred. Moreover, the drivers when found on an empty road exceed the speed limit. As the roads are straight and in the long run, the drivers get sleepy.
On March 13, a fatal accident occurred near Buldhana, in which the members of two families from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar going in the same vehicle were killed and some got injured. Six persons died in the accident. The vehicle was overloaded with passengers. The seating capacity of the vehicle was only seven but around 13 to 14 people were travelling in it.
In another example of carelessness, a driver cover a distance of 240 kms from Jalna to Nagpur in just 1.45 hours by exceeding the speed limit on April 18. The Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials from Nagpur counseled and warned the driver.
Moreover, during the case of an accident, a quick response team is deployed at every checkpoint. The team on receiving the information of the accident rushed to the spot and implement the rescue operations. An ambulance service is also provided to take the injured to the hospitals. Fire fighting equipment is also available, Khalse said.
Kishor Pawar, PI Traffic, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Rural police said, the Samruddhi e-way comes under the jurisdiction of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar jurisdiction from Vaijapur to Karmad. The traffic police conduct regular patrolling on the e-way. Similarly, the police control room is always in contact with the toll plazas from where the incidents of accidents are reported to the police. Fortunately, no major accident were reported in the jurisdiction until now, but a few minor accidents were reported.
Accidents reported till March 31
Total accidents: 752
Deaths: 29
Injured: 282
Causes of Accidents
Loss of vehicle control - 91 cases
Sleepiness - 59 cases
Tyre burst/mechanical failure - 60 cases
Rash driving - 40 cases
Measures to prevent accidents
- Maintain the given speed limit/ avoid rash driving
- Use seat belts
- Check tyres/engine/ mechanical faults
- Avoid sleepiness by resting at resting points
- Follow directives/guidelines
- Do not change lane