It may not be a revelation that the Mumbai-Pune Expressway is quite accident-prone, but a new report by road safety research firm JP Research India (JPRI) has revealed that nearly 60 percent of all accidents that occurred on the road were fatal.
The six-lane highway stretches 94.6km and is a boon for those travelling between India’s financial capital of Mumbai and its neighbour city, Pune, halving the travelling time. However, this study shows how hazardous it can be.
July 2018 statistics show that 1,30,402 vehicles plied on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway every day, and the report analysed 110 accidents (which involved 218 road users and 443 victims) between January 1 and December 1, 2018.
According to the report, 54 percent of fatal accidents occurred between 12am and 9am – this corroborates the report’s findings that 26 percent of fatalities occurred due to driver fatigue. Other major human factors that accounted for the relatively higher number of accidents that resulted in death include exceeding the 80kph speed limit (38 percent), overtaking from the left side (24 percent) and driving too slow for the conditions (12 percent). However, the report shows that the number one factor that resulted in a fatality was the non-usage of seatbelts, both at the front and rear (64 percent). In fact, in 71 percent of cases, the vehicle was equipped with the safety feature and yet not used.
From the data gathered, the report highlights that road users most often involved in accidents are trucks (54 percent), followed by cars (30 percent) and pedestrians (11 percent). Cars constituted 43 percent of vehicles that had at least one fatal or serious injury occupant.
In order to cut down on road deaths on the Expressway, JPRI has put forward a number of recommendations and countermeasures. Along with better enforcement of wearing of seat belts and adhering to speed limits, the report also recommends providing profiled tactile edge lines along the length of the road on the shoulder to counter vehicles veering off the road – a drowsy driver could potentially be alerted by the vibrations. It also asks road users to be made aware of dos and don’ts when in an emergency or a breakdown situation so that pedestrian safety improves.
| Proposed plan of action | ||
| Cause of accident | Fatalities | Countermeasure |
| Non-usage of seat belts | 64 percent | Conducting random and visible checks for all passengers |
| Speeding | 38 percent | Conducting random and visible checks |
| Driver fatigue | 26 percent | Tactile edge lines on roads and rest area information |
| Veering of the carriageway | 12 percent | Better crash barriers |
| Stopping on/near the road in the event of a breakdown/emergency | 12 percent | Create awareness of the dos and don’ts, and emergency contacts |
from Autocar India https://ift.tt/34PoG57
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment