The Mumbai-Pune Expressway Zero Fatality Corridor project, launched with an aim to decrease fatalities on the Mumbai-Pune expressway because of overspeeding, blind spots and other similar problems, have now come to know that 52% of the road accident-related deaths were reduced.
The project started by the Mahindra and Mahindra, MSRDC, SaveLIFE Foundation, and Maharashtra police now has statistics to support the initiative.
The stretch had observed a 43% drop in road crash fatalities from 151 fatalities in 2016 to 86 fatalities until December 31, 2019. In the year 2020, the expressway recorded 66 accidents in 63 crashes. In 2020, because of the pandemic, many road users were at home, and therefore a lower number of crashes. That is why the overall number is not 56% but 52%.
M&M contributed to the investments needed for this project, whereas the SaveLIFE foundation conceptualised the entire project. They were supported in their endeavours by the Maharashtra police.
To ensure a lower number of fatalities, speed traps were placed on the Mumbai corridor because of which 46,563 challans were issued between July 28 2020, and December 31 2020. Motorists were informed of the speed limit after which the speed traps were set.
The parked or stalled vehicles on the eway were also blocked from behind to guarantee that a rear collision doesn’t happen. Tactile edge lines were drawn for 150 km to ensure fatigue-based accidents don’t happen. The emergency crew were trained to provide timely medical help to those wounded.
The number of fatal crashes recorded was 14, wherein someone alighted a vehicle on the eway and was run by another speeding car. The number of rear-end collisions reported was 30, and these were fatal too. The chief source of accidents is speeding, with 21 of them being fatal. It was the report for 2020.
In 2021, the Tactile edge lines will be prolonged. The 35 km chainage treatment on the Mumbai corridor will be completed. Inattentive driver detection through AI will also be implemented. Intensive patrolling to current rear-end collisions will be put into position.
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