Slew of heavy vehicles makes Delhi-Jaipur highway a death trap
1 May 2018 5:08 AM IST
Gurugram: Sunday's grisly incident on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, in which two persons in a cab were charred to death after their car was hit by a truck, serves as a grim reminder of accidents caused due by heavy motorvehicles along National Highway-8.
It is estimated that two out of every three accidents along the Delhi-Jaipur highway are caused by heavy vehicles.
Various studies conducted on drivers have revealed that more than 50 per cent of the truck drivers have poor eyesight.
These studies also state that visibility declines further when on is driving heavy vehicles.
Other factors resulting in the deadly mishap are fatigue, overspeeding, drunken driving and overloading.
The central government may be working to rid NH-8 of traffic congestion.
However, it still has to deal with the challenges of making the Delhi-Jaipur highway safe for commuters and pedestrians.
According to official statistics, there have already been over 100 deaths on NH-8 reported so far this year.
Taking cognisance of the problem, authorities have come up with several initiatives, which include installing of speed detection cameras, taking action against overloaded vehicles and deputing more traffic policemen on the Delhi-Jaipur highway.
Most accidents and casualties have been reported from the areas of Pachgaon Chowk, IMT Chowk, Bilaspur and Manesar markets, while most of the victims in road mishaps are pedestrians and two-wheeler riders.
For the last five years, more than a thousand road accidents have led to over 400 casualties.
Faulty road designs, barely visible signages and poor management of traffic along major roads of Gurugram are making the city accident-prone, claim experts.
"The highest number of fatal accidents have been reported from outer areas of Gurugram, like Pataudi, Bilaspur and Farukhnagar. Within the city centre, areas like Sector-10 and Shivaji Nagar is the most unsafe.
"A lot of factors make driving extremely unsafe in Gurugram. To begin with, there are no proper cuts and diversions for commuters. There is also negligible action taken by authorities against overspeeding and rash driving. There is also no system for three-wheelers and private buses plying in the area," said Rajeev Verma, a city resident.
"With the city seeing massive traffic jams due to ongoing construction activities, most two-wheelers tend to violate traffic rules and make themselves as well as others susceptible to accidents," he added.
Shortage of facilities like foot over-bridges on busy city roads also add to the dangers for pedestrians.
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