Serious accidents occurring on road is a matter of great concern for all of us. Not a day passes when we do not read report of at least 2 or 3 serious road accidents. Almost everyone has been affected by such accidents at one time or the other., because a relative or friend is somehow connected to such accidents. The number of deaths per year per 10000 motor vehicle in India is 10 to 15 times more than that in advance countries. The number of motor vehicle is increasing day by day. Though it is a sign of improving economy of the country. It is a bitter truth that is also adds to accidents on roads. Our inability to provide enough funds to widen the roads or to construct new roads in proportion to rise in vehicle population also results in perpetuating this state of affairs.
In Maharashtra there were 100144 motor vehicle in 1961. Thirty six years later in 1997 the figure rose to 4515746 a 45 fold increase! During the same period the road length has risen by mere 5 times. In fact there are several roads where the vehicular traffic 4 to 5 times their capacity.
Statistics for the last few years show that there is a large increase in the number of accidents from year to year. In the state 77565 accidents were recorded 1996. These accidents are only those registered with the Police. Besides these there are several accidents which are not registered with the police. Because only one vehicle is involved or because the injuries or damages are not very serious. It can therefore be surmised that the actual number of accidents may be much more. In these accidents, large scale loss of life occurs every year. Several persons aere maimed for life. The productivity of several others reduces due to temporary incapacity. On an average 212 road accident occur in Maharashtra everyday and 24 person die therein while 145 are injured. Broadly 30 percent of persons dying in road accidents are below the age of 30 years. This means that the proportion of those dying in the prime of their life is quite large. It is clear that unless urgent remedial measures are taken, the occurrence of these accidents and resultant casualties will go on rising.
Why Do Accidents Occur?
Broadly road accidents occur due to the following 4 reasons.
1) Defects in vehicle e.g. breakage of tie rod of a running vehicle tyre bursting, wheel coming loose or failure of brakes. Due to such occurrence the driver loses control on the vehicle and an accident results.
2) Error of driver e.g. overtaking at a wrong place, turning abruptly or stopping without prior signalling, which can cause collision with the vehicle following; driving fast through villages exceeding the speed limit; falling asleep at the wheel, overturning due to going round a curve at excessive speed, driving while intoxicated etc.,
3) Environment around the road e.g. error of drivers of other vehicles like bullockcarts, cycles, rickshaw, jay walking, pedestrians, school children being run over, cattle or dogs etc. running onto roads.
4) Defects in roads: A study of accidents registered with the police shows that the number of accidents due to this reason is around 10% of total accidents. Even allowing for some errors in analysis of reasons for accidents, the figure will not exceed 20%.
Appointment of Accident Prevention Committee
On this background the Government of Maharashtra decided to appoint a Committee with a view to reducing at least the accidents occurring due to shortcoming in the roads by suggesting remedial measures. Thus the road in the state would be rendered safer to some extent and it is expected that there will be reduction in the number of road accidents and good many lives would be saved.
After inspecting a number of accident spots the Committee has found that certain types of sites are definite accident locations. If the general travelling public know them they can negotiate such location with caution and avoid accidents. A few such accident locations are described in this chapter.
Where the road rises to a summit and then slopes down and where the driver cannot see the road ahead for much distance, is a dangerous spot. More so, when the road curves immediately after the summit. In such cases, drivers do not know which way the road is turning after the summit and are therefore involved in accidents.
The summit at the end of a longish rising gradient which in turn follows either a good horizontal stretch or a downward gradient also becomes an accident spot. It is observed that vehicels usually travel along the road in bunch. This bunch consist of some heavy vehicles and some faster lighter vehicle. As soon as this bunch starts climbing up on rising gradient the heavy trucks slow down considerably and the impatient lighter and faster vehicles immediately swing out of overtaking them. This overtaking action usually takes place near the summit where sight distance is any way deficient. At the same time the vehicles coming from the opposite direction are just past the summit on downward gradient and are therefore, travelling fairly fast. The carriageway being only 2 lane wide a dangerous situation is created.
Another dangerous spot is a small level stretch between two long downward gradients. Vehicles travelling down the slope from both directions meet in the small level stretch where the road is only 2 lane wide and a dangerous situation arises,.
The tress and shrubs by the side of the road are also traffic hazards. On the inside of the curves they reduce sight distance. In straight stretches where vehicles are travelling fast, the tree branches projecting close to the carriage way at height less than 6 metres also cause the heavy trucks piled with big loads or big buses to move away from the branches and towards the center of the road. When vehicle travelling in both direction adopt the same tactic, a dangerous situation leading to possible head collision can arise. Many accidents also seem to occur due to vehicles crashing against large trees growing close to the carriageway. In such cases fatalities are high.
In some instance with an eye to economy the depth of cutting are reduced. This sometimes leads to long downward gradients ending in a fairly high bank or on a two-lane bridge. Vehicles travelling at great speed down such slopes or running out of the driver because of mechanical failure find the high bank or 7.5 m wide bridge a difficulty proposition to handle.
When a village and its facilities like source of water supply or school or place or employment like an industrial estate are located on the opposite side of the road, the situation is extremely accident prone. The villagers crossing the road to reach the facilities are exposed to being hit by vehicles travelling at great speed on the road.
It was seen that advance direction signs, indication the destination to which a branch road taking off from the main road was leading were absent at much location. The persons heading for such destination tend to brakes suddenly on realising that they are already at their branch road. The following vehicles many a times hit the vehicle in such a situation.
At many locations and in several stretches of the road committee noticed that the shoulder of roads were in a bad shape. At some places they were very much low as compared to the pavement. Where the cart track took off from the main road, the shoulder was found to have been very much deteriorated in the fanning portion of such cart track. In many instances such a portion was found to be almost half a meter or more lower that the shoulder immediately adjoining. This is a very dangerous situation particularly for 2 wheelers or small vehicles or heavily loaded vehicles which are forced on to the shoulder at night at such places,. At several places it was also found that on curves, though the road was in super elevation the outer shoulder had the usual camber sloping away from the edge of the carriageway. This also is considered to be a dangerous situation where a vehicle travelling slightly faster than the permissible limits on such curves is likely to overturn when its outer wheels cross the edge of the black topped pavement.
The committee also found that in the case of almost the full stretch of national highway and in the case of many state Highways, the traffic intensity on these roads is already far in excess of their capacity. This creates a great difficulty in overtaking. It also creates a dangerous situation when two large heavy vehicles crossed each other at high spedd without a divider in between. When shoulders are also in a bad shape in such stretches the danger is compounded. Two wheelers in particular are in very great danger.
Many accidents appear to have occurred because of lack of reflectors or tail lamps to many bullock carts or truck at night. When the drivers was blinded by lights of the on coming vehicle. He was unable to see such vehicles ahead of him and stood in danger of crashing against them.
The driver of broken trucks place large stone behind and by the side of their truck to protect themselves from other traffic. In most cases they forget to remove such stones when leaving the spot after repairing their vehicles. Such stone prove fatal for other vehicles, particularly two wheelers at night.
In many villages there is no separate space available for halting of state Transport buses,. The buses, therefore, stop right on the carriageway. Since the exist of these buses are at the rear end the passenger alight there and when they have to cross the road to reach their destination in the village they cross the road from behind the S.T. bus. While doing so they are hidden from the view of any vehicle coming in the opposite directions so that when they emerge from behind the bus they step right in front of such a vehicle. At several accident spots this was the reason for the accident.
Trucks parked near dhabas and petrol pumps and octroi naka close to the carriageway leave a very narrow lane either between them for the passing traffic. This is a source of accidents. Either people crossing the road are hit or sometimes there is head on collision also. It would be better if adequate parking space os acquired by the owners of these dhabas or petrol pump so that there is enough parking space inside their compound for the trucks. The roads would remain clear. For Octori Naka also municipal Corporation / Council may also be prevailed upon to create sufficient parking space off the road for the trucks. It would be helpful if they are also prevailed upon to streamline the operation of octroi collection so that the number of vehicles required to be parked is reduced.
