A huge traffic jam at the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday afternoon halted the traffic for more than four kilometres near Datta Food Mall, after passing the gradient of Lonavala-Khandala. Preliminary reports show that a container truck, which is said to have been going at a speed much higher than normal, had its brakes fail and hit another car, leading to a chain-reaction crash that involved 18 to 20 cars.
This accident took place in one of the busiest expressways in India, where 1.5 to 2 lakhs of vehicles drive through every day, and the volume of traffic increases manifold during weekends. The damage that resulted from the pile-up was enormous, as at least three vehicles were crushed thoroughly, and many others were pummeled seriously. Several passengers were badly injured, after which emergency services were deployed to evacuate the injured and to clear the wreckage.
Traffic control officials used to reroute cars to other lanes to cop with the situation, yet the traffic still lasted even after several hours. Police, highway patrol and the locals were on site coordinating rescue efforts and bringing sanity to the commuters who were stranded. The images of the scene revealed trash on the lanes and rescue workers helping the survivors.
This accident has refocused the debate on road safety regulation on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, especially on the steep ghat portions that have been notorious for accidents due to overspeeding and brake failure of the heavy vehicles. The necessity of strict regulation of monitoring, speed, and the obligatory vehicle comparative testing has been repeatedly voiced by experts in order to prevent such tragedies.
The expressway that links Mumbai and Pune is also a lifeline, and over the years, there have been some major accidents on the road, demanding improved safety mechanisms, continuous patrolling and emergency capabilities to deal with vulnerable areas. Officers should check what caused the accident and determine whether carelessness or a malfunction of the machine caused such a mass collision.
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