More mishaps but fewer deaths on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, shows data

For faster coordination, the police teams have been making use of the messaging application WhatsApp, along with using walkie-talkies, officers said.

In the last three days, three major accidents were reported on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, leaving four people dead and seven injured. However, statistics obtained by The Indian Express reveal that while the number of accidents on the expressway has increased since 2016, the number of fatalities has gone down. In 2017, 89 accidents leading to deaths took place on the expressway, killing 105 people. In 2016, there were 97 cases of fatal accidents, leading to 151 deaths. However, the total number of accidents, including those that were not fatal, has gone up by more than 20 per cent on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. While the total in 2016 was 281, it went up to 360 in 2017.

Highway traffic police said that in the past five years, the highest number of fatal accidents were reported in 2016. Police said they then started stricter implementation of traffic rules. In 2017, the Highway Safety Patrol (HSP) booked over 1.86 lakh drivers and collected Rs 4.31 crore in fines from those violating traffic rules on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. In the previous year, police collected about Rs 1.58 crore in fines and booked 1.03 lakh traffic violators.

“The fines collected and the number of traffic violators booked in 2016 is much smaller when compared to 2017. As the number of fatal mishaps increased in 2016, we started the new concept of ‘invisible policing’ on the expressway last year. This involves police personnel in plain clothes being placed along the highway to spot rash drivers who indulge in lane cutting, overspeeding and so on. The fines are then collected by police teams at the next toll booth, as chasing or stopping vehicles mid-way would be dangerous,” said an officer from the HSP.

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HSP officials said they divided the expressway into six sections and posted staff, consisting of two constables in plain clothes, at each section. Those responsible for spotting rash drivers are referred to as “spotters” and the team collecting fines at toll plazas are called “catchers”. For faster coordination, the police teams have been making use of the messaging application WhatsApp, along with using walkie-talkies, officers said.

“The violations include speeding, crossing lanes without indicating, heavy vehicles being driven on the first lane, two-wheelers on the E-way and parking on the roadside, which is strictly not allowed on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. In case of breakdown, drivers are suppose to use reflectors. So, educating drivers is more important than enforcement,” Vijay Patil, superintendent of police, HSP, said. The police are in the process of procuring 45 speed guns to tackle the issue of speeding on the expressway.

“It’s still under negotiation, and these 45 speed guns will be used on highways across Maharashtra. The speed guns will help us control accidents drastically, as speeding is the main issue on highways,” Patil said.

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