1,017 fined on e-way in four days

LANE CUTTING Traffic police begin a special drive, which will continue till May 14, to curb accidents on the expressway

NAVI MUMBAI: To curb the rising cases of accidents on MumbaiPune Expressway, the traffic department has launched a massive drive against the errant motorists. As many as 1,017 motorists were penalised for lane cutting in four days.

The traffic department has deployed officials at different points of the Expressway to keep a tab on vehicular movement since April 17. The drive will go on till May 14, a senior officer said.

Two weeks ago, a f amily from Khanda Colony met with an accident on the Expressway when they were returning home from Satara. Their SUV was hit by a luxury bus from the rear near Panvel. While one 42-yearold woman died on the spot, two others suffered severe injuries.

“It has been observed that most accidents take place while overtaking,” said Jonardan Thorat, police inspector from the Taloja traffic unit, who is also part of this drive. “Our main objective behind conduct- ing this drive was to bring discipline to the movement of the vehicles on the road. A majority of the vehicles we have penalised in the past four days were heavy vehicles,” he said.

Around 14 kilometres of the Expressway comes in the jurisdiction of Navi Mumbai police. However, this special drive is being conducted between Panvel and the Khandala exit.

Balasaheb Ga de, traffic head of Panvel division, said, “Ninety- nine per cent of the accidents of Mumbai- Pune Expressway take place because of human errors. The road has dividers, guide boards for the motorists and there is no mistake in its construction. Analysing some of the recent accidents we have understood that speeding and overtaking are the reasons behind a majority of the accidents. Therefore it had become necessary to take some requisite measures to curb the menace.”

Residents and activists from Panvel however, said that mere blaming the motorists for the accidents does not solve any problem. Manoj Shinde, 42, a resident said, “At several places on the Expressway there are no street lights. Because of the darkness, the driver cannot see the road properly and end up hitting other vehicles from the rear. Likewise, guide boards are required at several crucial points. So when it comes to the safety of the motorists, such issues should not be left unattended.”

Analysing some of the recent accidents, we have understood that speeding and overtaking are the reasons behind most accidents. BALASAHEB GADE, traffic head of Panvel division