Nagpur: Over six months have passed by since the inauguration of the Samruddhi Mahamarg’s 520-km stretch from Nagpur to Shirdi. During this period, as many as 95 persons have lost their lives in various accidents including the latest one near Pimpalkhuta in Buldhana district.
In the official report, various reasons including ‘road hypnosis’ and rash driving have been cited as reasons for 450 accidents that have taken place on Samruddhi Mahamarg. Named as Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Samruddhi Mahamarg, this expressway was opened for traffic officially on December 11, 2022. However, since then, several accidents have taken place.
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As per the data with Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), more than 450 accidents have been reported on the expressway in past six months since it was opened for traffic. Of these accidents, more than 160 have been categorised as ‘major’ and 290-plus as ‘minor’. As many as 215 persons have sustained major injury and 706 have sustained minor injury in various mishaps.
As per the data till June 11, 2023, total 70 persons had lost their lives in 44 accidents. If one adds the latest bus fire tragedy that claimed 25 lives, the total number of human casualties in road accidents on Samruddhi Mahamarg rises to 95. MSRDC has listed several causes of accidents. These include loss of control over vehicle, sleepiness, tyre burst, mechanical failure, tailgating (driver driving behind another vehicle not leaving sufficient distance to stop, leading to collision if the driver of vehicle in front applies brakes), high speed, etc.
The highest number of human casualties — 19 — till June 11 had been reported in accidents due to ‘loss of control’. It was followed by 13 lives lost in tailgating, 10 in accidents that happened as the driver of the vehicle concerned felt sleepy, nine lives were lost in accidents involving vehicles driven at high speed. Eight persons died in accidents due to tyre burst, four in mishaps due to vehicle colliding from the rear, two in accidents due to mechanical failure, and five in mishaps due to other unspecified reasons.
In the category of accidents due to drivers losing control over vehicles, five main reasons have been identified. These include rash driving, overloading, driver driving a vehicle in an inebriated condition, road hypnosis, and distraction. Thus, officially also, ‘road hypnosis’ has been recognised as a reason behind accidents on Samruddhi Mahamarg. ‘Road hypnosis’ is a condition in which a driver zones out while driving on a monotonous road, and this leads to accidents, but the driver does not remember what happened during that period of ‘hypnosis’.
The work of providing various amenities and improving upon facilities is still in progress on Samruddhi Mahamarg. Recently, MSRDC had taken up a drive to check tyres of the vehicles plying on the expressway. Following the latest accident that claimed 25 lives, the work on improving road safety measures has been expedited.
