Ignorance Of drivers To Rules And Systems On Pune-Mumbai Expressway, Plans To Prevent Accidents On Paper Only

Pune, 25th August 2022: After the death of Shiv Sangram leader Vinayak Mete, the issue of an increasing number of accidents on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway has come to the fore again.

The Maharashtra state government has announced to set up of an updated traffic control system on this route and make the route eight-lane.

After the death of the political leader, although all the systems related to the route have come to a screeching halt, plans have been announced from time to time after accidents have occurred on this route in the past. However, the reality is that it remains only on paper.

Over speeding, breaking of traffic rules, negligence of systems and lack of consistency in police action have made it clear that this road is unsafe many times.

Pune-Mumbai Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway will soon use drone cameras to prevent accidents and control traffic. It was announced that an ‘Intelligence Traffic Management System’ (ITMS) scheme associated with satellite and drone cameras would be implemented.

In view of the heavy traffic on the highway and the stress caused by the traffic jam, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis proposed the plan to make the expressway eight-lane. After Mete’s death, the accident site was inspected by senior officials.

The officials also observed that the accident occurred mostly due to excessive speed, and careless driving behaviour leaving the lane. In 2001, the Mumbai-Pune expressway was inaugurated. The expressway reduced the distance between the two cities and saved travel time.

However, in the last 22 years, hundreds of people have died in accidents on the expressway. Measures designed to reduce accidents on the expressway remain on paper. Tasks are given to organisations working in the transport sector to prevent accidents. Reports are also given by these institutions. It is seen that most of the accidents on expressways are due to human error and over-speeding.

The rule is that the speed of vehicles should be 80 to 100 km per hour. However, motorists disobey the rules and drive at a speed of 120 to 200 kmph. Action is taken against speeding vehicles by highway police with speed guns.

Driving away from the lane invites accidents. Heavy vehicle drivers often leave the road. The number of accidents on the expressway is increasing day by day due to neglect by the system.

The expressway has cracks in many places while at some places the road is bumpy. When the work is going on in the ghat area, the information board system is not installed in such a way that it can be seen by the motorists. It is necessary to install iron bars at some distance from the work.

However, in the Ghat area where the work is going on, stones are placed there. At such a time, the driver leaves the lane and moves the vehicle forward which leads to serious accidents. Due to the lack of consistency in the action of the highway police, motorists often break the rules. Neglect of the system is responsible for accidents on expressways.