Mumbai: In response to the increasing fatalities on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the government and the NGO SaveLIFE Foundation have collaborated to introduce comprehensive safety measures. Initiatives include speed-calming measures, loudspeaker announcements promoting safe driving, and enhanced signage.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari unveiled a report on ‘Road Safety Good Practices,’ highlighting a 65% expected reduction in deaths due to these measures. Recent statistics revealed a rise in fatalities from 72 in 2020 to 91 in 2022, emphasizing the need for interventions.
Major concerns included speeding, dangerous driving practices, overtaking from the left, and brake failures in trucks, particularly in the ghat section. Piyush Tewari, CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation, outlined strategies such as compelling truckers to change gears on slopes and collaborating with truck manufacturers to install warning devices.
Additional Expressway initiatives involve installing crash barriers, tactile edge lines, speed traps, rumble strips, and creating no-parking zones. The report also highlighted a 61% reduction in deaths on the old Mumbai-Pune highway due to interventions in engineering, enforcement, emergency care, and education.
