NHAI,traffic police pass buck on spurt in accidents on high speed corridor

According to the details though,over 80 per cent of the accidents on the Expressway are due to rash driving,indiscipline and over-speeding.

A Vadodara division NHAI official said: “We have a monthly analysis of the accidents on the highways,and we have found that the numbers are increasing lately. In most cases,we have found that the cause of accidents is mostly the irresponsibility of the drivers. We have also noted that after the Vadodara-Bharuch route has been converted into six lanes,accidents do occur as truck drivers do not stick to their designated lanes.”

Majority of the accidents take place between 2 am and 6 am.

An Ahmedabad division NHAI official said that highway traffic police is responsible for maintaining a check on over-speeding and rash driving. “We have had debates with the RTO and major vehicle manufacturers on installing reflectors on all the sides of bigger vehicles so that vehicles following behind them can judge their dimensions properly.”

In the absence of blinkers on trucks,smaller vehicles often ram them while negotiating steep turns.

An NHAI official said that no strict measures are being taken by the Highway Police to enforce the use of reflectors on heavy vehicles.

“We are aware of the reasons of accidents. Speeding trucks and drunken drivers are one of the reasons of concern,but parking of trucks by the highway is also an issue we are battling. There is a huge shortage of staff and even with the availablestaff,the major concentration is on crime-related issues,”said V D Vanaar,Deputy Superintendent of Police,Traffic Branch.

He added: “We have only one interceptor car in the state,designated for the state highways,to check on the irregularities on road. Though we do fine truckers and drivers,penalty is not the only solution. We are trying to create awareness among the truck drivers at their usual meeting points.”