Road hypnosis is cited as one of the causes of the accidents on the six lane wide Samruddhi Expressway
Pic/AFP
As many as 88 people have lost their lives in road accidents in the last six months on Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra, including 25 on Saturday as a private bus caught fire after hitting a divider, an official told news agency PTI.
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Road hypnosis is cited as one of the causes of the accidents on the six lane wide access-controlled expressway, the state highway police official told PTI.
Highway hypnosis or driving hypnosis is a condition when a driver zones out while driving a vehicle without remembering what occurred in that specific period.
A total of 39 fatal accidents have taken place on the Nagpur-Mumbai expressway since December last year when it was partially thrown open, the official told PTI citing data.
Besides, 616 minor and major accidents have occurred on this expressway in which 656 people suffered from serious and minor injuries, he said.
Most of the accidents were caused due to reasons like over-speeding, drivers dozing off at the wheel, and tyre bursts.
The official said the highway police have been trying to tackle the issue of road hypnosis.
Across Maharashtra, 15,224 people were killed in road crashes in 2022, he added.
In the early hours of Saturday, 25 passengers were charred to death as the private bus they were travelling in caught fire after hitting a divider on the expressway in Buldhana district, police told PTI.
The 701-kilometre Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg is now operational on a 601-km stretch from Vidarbha's largest city to Bharvir in Nashik.
The deceased included 11 male and 14 female passengers. Ten of the victims were from Wardha, seven from Pune, four from Nagpur and two each from Yavatmal and Washim.
Eight persons, including the driver and 'cleaner' (driver's assistant) survived the horrific accident.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has ordered a probe into the accident and announced an ex-gratia assistance of Rs five lakh for the families of each deceased.
The sleeper coach bus of 'Vidarbha Travels' was on its way to Pune from Nagpur when it met with the accident around 1.30 am on Saturday at Pimpalkhuta village near Sindkhedraja, 130 km from Nagpur.
(With inputs from PTI)
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