Spurt in expressway mishaps

Khandala police blame drivers' 'neutral gear obsession' for the accidents on Pune-Mumbai expressway, which result in traffic snarls

Spurt in expressway mishaps

Khandala police blame drivers' 'neutral gear obsession' for the accidents on Pune-Mumbai expressway, which result in traffic snarls

Sky rocketing prices of fuel may also be responsible for the accidents at the Pune-Mumbai expressway.u00a0 Khandala Traffic Aid Post (TAP) officials assert that heavy vehicles being driven on 'neutral' gear to save fuel, is one of the major cause behind most accidents taking place at the deadly 7 km stretch of the expressway near Khandala exit.The E-way witnessed two accidents on Saturday near the Khandala exit and in both cases the drivers of the heavy containers lost control over their vehicles.

Accident prone: The 7-km stretch of the Pune-Mumbai Expressway
near Khandala exit has seen a spurt in mishaps. File pic

Police officers at Khandala (TAP) have observed that most accidents have been caused due to the 'neutral gear obsession' of the drivers in an effort to save fuel.Police officer Kirtikumar Devre said, "Heavy vehicle drivers exceed their speed limit of 25-30 kmph and often transport containers and tankers at a speed of 80-90 kmph.u00a0Of late, the Khandala exit has witnessed many accidents, where trucks turn turtle or ram into other light vehicles causing deaths. The driversu00a0-- mostly drunkenu00a0-- simply ignore the speed limit sign boards, he added.

Experts intervene
A team of road engineers from Mumbai and Delhi have inspected the accident-prone spots on the kilometre 48-55 stretches. The police officers working under the Khandala and Wadgaon TAP have also contributed with their inputs. Officer Devre maintained, "By using the natural upward incline near the Amrutanjan bridge, truck drivers will be able control their vehicles and avoid accidents.

Past mishaps
Two accidents were reported on Saturday at the same spot near Khandala exit. At around 11am, the driver of a Mumbai-bound container lost control over his vehicle, crossed the lanes and rammed into three vehicles coming from the other side injuring six passengers travelling in a pick-up jeep heading to Ranjangaon.

A Similar incident took place the same evening at around 4pm where a container truck rammed into another four-wheeler on other side but fortunately none were injured. Traffic was brought to a halt for more than three hours that day.

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