The number of fatal accidents on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, which has received a lot of flak over how fatal it has turned out to be, has reduced over the past two months. While May and June recorded 29 and 28 fatalities respectively, July and August reported only 8 and 6.
“The number of fatal accidents has reduced significantly, thanks to a host of measures, chief among them restricting the maximum speed to 100 kmph and ensuring lane discipline through strict enforcement,” said Alok Kumar, Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP), Traffic and Road Safety, Karnataka. He has been spearheading a campaign to make the expressway safer for the past two months.
Following a spurt in fatal accidents after the expressway was inaugurated, the State police commissioned a study on the causes.
The study identified speeding and lack of lane discipline as the chief causes for fatal accidents. This prompted the police to limit the maximum speed to 100 kmph and ban two-wheelers and all slow-moving vehicles.
“While banning two-wheelers has definitely helped reduce accidents, the problem still persists as bikes swerve into the expressway at entry and exit points before and after the toll gates,” a senior official said.
Intensified highway patrol
Another major contributor to the reduction in the number of accidents is intensified highway patrolling, Mr. Kumar said.
As many as eight patrolling vehicles have been deployed, with directions for each vehicle to cover a stretch of 18 to 20 kilometres to ensure road safety and traffic discipline.
The police have also identified accident-prone black spots and the points where two-wheelers and other slow-moving vehicles are illegally entering and exiting the expressway.
High-patrol vehicles have been asked to strictly monitor these points and even conduct surprise checks at these strategic points persistently.
AI-enabled enforcement cameras
Six Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled enforcement cameras presently installed on the expressway have also been of great help, Mr. Kumar said. These help the police track down the vehicles violating norms in real time, depending on the kind of violation.
“We are procuring 70 more of these cameras so that we can install them at shorter distances from each other for a better coverage of the expressway,” Mr. Kumar said.
Meanwhile, offenders involved in accidents on the expressway have had their driving licences (DLs) suspended for a minimum of six months and a thorough evaluation of their driving skills before restoring their suspended DL.
Given the success of these measures in bringing down fatal accidents, they will be extended to other highways in the State in a phased manner, Mr. Kumar said.
