According to an audit commissioned by the federal government to cut back deaths on nationwide highways, practically 40 % of deadly accidents happen on stretches of freeway, with driver “sleepiness and fatigue” behind many of those accidents.
The examine – a pilot audit of knowledge on 4 freeway stretches totaling 557 km in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra – additionally discovered a number of engineering defects equivalent to gaps within the median, lacking crash limitations, roadside concrete buildings, and many others. All added as much as the accidents and ensuing deaths. For instance, within the Agra-Etawa part, 7,500 such engineering defects had been recognized. The different three corridors that had been audited are Etawah-Chakeri in UP and Pune-Satara and Satara-Kagal in Maharashtra.
The 4 audited stretches had witnessed over 6,500 accidents within the final three years, of which over 1,600 had been severe and deadly.
The auditors, the NGO SaveLife Foundation, seemed by medical information of trauma care and knowledge by freeway concessionaires and located that fatigue, particularly amongst drivers of economic automobiles, triggered them to collide with stationary automobiles from behind or slow-moving automobiles. Started. “There had been no tire marks which implies the brakes weren’t utilized. Piyush Tiwari, founding father of SaveLife and member of the National Road Safety Council, mentioned, “The drivers most likely fell asleep and got into another vehicle.”
According to the audit, other than the final deficiencies, equivalent to drunken driving, using and not using a helmet, lack of correct lighting in some elements, lack of enforcement by state governments, and many others., which have contributed to the accidents are additionally weather-related native are elements.
The lack of visibility within the winter months in Uttar Pradesh results in many accidents. For instance, within the Agra-Etawah part, about 39 per cent of the deaths and 32 per cent of the accidents occurred in fog/fog situations.
Maharashtra had issues with “hydroplaning” within the monsoon months, inflicting automobiles to spin uncontrolled.
Between 50 and 60 per cent of the accidents on the audited stretches occurred in broad daylight, most of which had been because of collisions between motorized two-wheelers and vehicles.
The audit additionally assessed the native trauma care set-up and located that as an alternative of inserting ambulances nearer to accident inclined areas, they had been positioned at equidistant distances.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has put aside 12 extra stretches totaling practically 4,000 km throughout 15 states – which contribute to 85 per cent of all accidents and deaths on Indian roads in a 12 months – to be audited by the SaveLife Foundation . This, after the ministry famous that the NGO had performed the same audit on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and following the implementation of the suggestions, resulted in a 52 per cent discount within the dying fee between 2016 and 2020.
Ministry officers mentioned the reforms are being made based mostly on the findings and suggestions of the audit of the 4 sections.
India has the doubtful distinction of witnessing round 5 lakh highway accidents and 1.5 lakh deaths yearly.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
