Highway hypnosis major reason behind spate of accidents on Samruddhi Mahamarg: Police data
Many motorists have experienced highway hypnosis on the 520km-long Samruddhi Expresssway connecting Nagpur to Shirdi. Since the highway is new, there are no hoardings on the roadsides or hotels that would distract a driver's mind.
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Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visit the site where a bus met with an accident and caught fire killing at least 25 passengers and injuring many others, in Buldhana district. (Express photo by Deepak Joshi) Highway hypnosis has emerged as a major cause of accidents on the Samruddhi Mahamarg. According to data compiled by the Maharashtra Highway Police, it led to 98 accidents or 27 per cent of the total 358 accidents on the stretch between December 11, 2022, when the stretch was inaugurated, and April 30, 2023.
Accidents caused by highway hypnosis resulted in nine deaths out of the total 39 lives lost over the period, as per the data. Highway Hypnosis is a phenomenon that generally motorists experience during long, uninterrupted drives on highways. It occurs when the motorists are continuously driving for hours without any breaks and because of the monotonous route the driver zones out while driving. Drivers experience it on smooth, empty highways and the feeling is like sleeping with open eyes and a brief disconnect with the outer world.
Admitting that they were aware of the issue, the state highway police earlier said they were in the process of taking up remedial measures such as putting up flags and reflectors alongside highways to effectively curb such incidents.
As per data, 143 people were critically injured while 236 received minor injuries in the total 358 accidents that have occurred on the Samruddhi Mahamarg since it was opened for public use in December last year.
After highway hypnosis, overspeeding and tyre bursting are the other two major causes of accidents on the Samruddhi Mahamarg. Overspeeding has been the biggest reason for fatalities, accounting for as many as 11 deaths. The police have recorded 68 cases of over-speeding in these five months, in which 72 people have been injured, including 19 grievously injured. The highway police have observed that 55 accidents on the Samruddhi Highway occurred due to tyre bust incidents, which killed nine people.
The second-longest expressway in the country, Samruddhi Mahamarg – officially the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg – was built to reduce travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai from 16 hours to eight once it is fully operational. The total cost of the project is Rs 55,335 crore and it connects 10 districts of Maharashtra.
Many motorists have experienced highway hypnosis on the 520km-long Samruddhi Expresssway stretch connecting Nagpur to Shirdi. Since the highway is new, there are no hoardings or billboards on the roadsides or hotels/dhabas that would distract a driver’s mind. This can sometimes lead to serious accidents.
The state highway police were planning to come up with remedial measures to cut down the number of accidents due to highway hypnosis.
“Due to continuous driving on a monotonous stretch for long hours, the drivers kind of get hypnotised and sometimes lose control and reach a state when there is a temporary disconnect between the brain and body’s action. This results in the driver losing control of the vehicle and leads to accidents ,” said Singal.
Samruddhi Mahamarg has been opened for public use in two phases, totalling 600 km. The first phase of 520 km between Nagpur and Shirdi was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December last year. While the second phase between Shirdi and Bharvir was inaugurated in May by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. With the opening of this 80 km stretch, 600 km of the 701 km expressway now stands complete. Now, only a 100 km portion between Bharvir and Mumbai remains.
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