The astounding number of accidents happening on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway due to over speeding and drunk driving has literally made the highway a killer stretch.
The astounding number of accidents happening on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway due to over speeding and drunk driving has literally made the highway a killer stretch.
According to figures available with the state highway police, in the 644 mishaps were reported on the Expressway last year, 165 people lost their lives.
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need for speed: Two people were injured when a gas tanker travellingu00a0 from Khopoli to Pune overturned on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway last month. Pic/Atul Marwadi |
Apart from the deaths, 239 people were seriously injured and 117 suffered minor injuries on the 94-km Expressway.
R Jagtap, control room in charge of Expressway, said that the majority of accidents occur due to tyre bursts, as people don't follow the mandatory speed limit of 80 km/hour. "They fail to understand is that even if there are no vehicles on the highway, the speed at which they are driving can create sufficient heat that can lead to tyre bursts," he said.
Besides, Jagtap added that drunken driving is also one of the major reasons for mishaps happening on the stretch. "People, especially truck drivers, drink and then drive recklessly on the Expressway, thus risking their lives and that of other motorists," said Jagtap.
Three of a family die in accident
On Saturday, a family of three died in a mishap near Lonavla on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The deceased, who were Mumbai residents, were identified as Dhiren Khanasaheb (45), Archana (43) Radhi (12). The accident took place when their car rammed into a road divider.
