Are accidents on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway due to faulty infrastructure or irresponsible humans? Cops want medical tests on drivers to pin the blame
A 2010 file picture of two trucks involved in an accident near the Bhatan tunnel on the Expressway
Alarmed at the increasing number of accidents on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, especially with government and police being accused of not maintaining the road, the highway security police has asked the law-enforcing agency to conduct medical test of drivers involved in accidents on the route.
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A 2010 file picture of two trucks involved in an accident near the Bhatan tunnel on the Expressway
An order issued by the office of the Superintendent of Police Highway Security (Pune region) Amol Tambe on July 30 asked all police stations under whose jurisdiction the Expressway falls, to conduct these tests even in fatal cases.
“Tests will be performed to find whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol or any other substance,” a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity. The officer further added that speed limit on the stretch is 80 kmph though most vehicles travel at a much higher speed. “In many over speeding cases, we feel that driver must have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Else why would they exceed the speed limit?” the official added.
The order copy, issued by Pune police, mentions that up till now, medical tests weren’t conducted on humanitarian grounds in order to help the victims claim insurance. Tambe said, “The tests will enable the administration to analyse if the accidents were caused by human error or some other reason.”
The Expressway, around 92 km long, was thrown open to the public in April 2002 to ease commuting between Mumbai and Pune. However, since then 14,000 accidents have been reported on the stretch in which over 1,400 people have lost their lives.
In the first week of August four youths aged between 23 and 27 died and another critically injured after their car rammed into the pillar of Devle Bridge near Malavali. In an earlier incident, six college students, between the ages of 18 and 24 were killed after their car turned turtle near Kamshet in the early hours of July 26.
14,000
Accidents from April 2012 to 2016
1,400
Number of fatal accidents
2
no of accidents reported a day
70
Number of deaths on the Mumbai-Pune stretch from January to July 2016
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