PUNE: The death of three men in an accident involving six vehicles near the Khopoli exit of the Pune-Mumbai Expressway on Monday morning has once again raised concerns over motorists’ tendency to speed beyond the set limits.
Till September, as many as 65 people have lost their lives this year in accidents on the expressway. Police said speeding beyond limits had been the most common cause of the accidents. Police said speeding was also the cause of the accident on Monday. Since January, Highway Safety Patrol (HSP) officials from Thane and Pune units have penalized 3.97 lakh motorists on the charge of violating speed limits on the expressway.
"Sixty-five people have lost their lives in accidents on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway from January 1 to September 30 this year. In October, accidents on the expressway have claimed at least three lives. Most of these accidents were a result of over-speeding and lane cutting, Highway Safety Patrol (HSP) officials say. HSP data reveal that a fine of Rs39.75 crore was collected from 3.97 lakh motorists violating the speed limits from January to September this year. This indicated that the fine of Rs1,000 per offence failed to act as a deterrent. It is high time that the authorities increased the fine amount and ensured more stringent punishments for the rule violators.-TimesView"
Light motor vehicles and heavy vehicles are supposed to maintain a speed limit of less than 100kmph and 80kmph, respectively. Last year, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, in association with NGO Save Life Foundation, installed static cameras covering all the lanes of the expressway.
Despite all such measures, speeding beyond limits remains a major challenge for the authorities. Additional director general of police (traffic) Bhushankumar Upadhyay told TOI, “Over-speeding has been singularly identified as the most common cause of the ghastly accidents on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway. We have deployed four interceptor vehicles and installed high speed monitoring cameras on the expressway.”
He added, “We are continuously penalizing the offending motorists. Yet, the motorists are violating the speed limits and risking lives. Many buses and heavy vehicles are involved in over-speeding, which is a big worry. The police are trying to keep a check on them.”
