Is over-speed the cause for accidents?

Penal action including suspension of DL on those over-speeding beyond 100 kmph

Mysore/Mysuru: The Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway is experiencing an alarming rise in accidents, prompting proactive measures by the Police.

Speed interceptors (speed radar guns) installed in patrol vehicles have now been deployed by the Ramanagara Police to address the issue.

Additional Director General of Police (Traffic and Road Safety) Alok Kumar has confirmed the use of speed radar guns to capture instances of high-speed violations on the Expressway.

“Booking cases using speed radar guns for over-speeding on the Expressway. Appreciate action by SP Ramanagara and his team. Follow traffic rules to save lives, not to save a fine amount,” Alok Kumar tweeted last night.

Police sources told Star of Mysore that Channapatna-Mandya section is the most dangerous with maximum fatalities and as such, the Ramanagara Police have deployed speed interceptors. “The radar gun is placed inside a patrol vehicle and it will not be stationed at one point. Rather, the vehicle will move around and be stationed at strategic points along the Expressway,” a source added.

Following a significant increase in road accidents and casualties, Alok Kumar recently visited a few stretches of the Expressway, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation. He cautioned motorists about strict enforcement and warned that driving licences could be revoked for those exceeding speed limits.

Alok Kumar also noted instances of small vehicles surpassing the 100 kmph limit and losing control, resulting in collisions with medians and vehicles travelling in the opposite direction. In his tweet, Alok Kumar has also shared an image of a car that was speeding at 122 kmph while the speed limit is 100 kmph.

However, as these measures yielded no significant improvement, Traffic Police interceptors have been deployed to tackle the issue of overspeeding. These interceptors will monitor vehicles exceeding 100 kmph.

Authorities are exploring deploying sectional speed detection systems on the Expressway to automatically capture the speed of vehicles between the two points and flag violations at the nearest toll plaza to enable the Police to take action against the violators.

“We are also evaluating safety measures on other Expressways and Highways to implement successful practices on this Expressway. Sectional speed detection systems are being considered to automatically capture vehicle speeds and flag violations at toll plazas, facilitating necessary penal action,” sources added. 

In addition, the authorities are planning to intensify patrolling activities and provide hand-held radar speed guns to officers to overcome technological limitations that cameras alone cannot address.

They are also considering reducing the speed limits for trucks and heavy goods vehicles to 60-80 km per hour and there are discussions about banning the entry of two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and tractors on the Expressway, according to sources.

People point at signboard that demarcates speed lanes

The Police action to deploy speed radar guns on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway has evoked sharp responses from the public.

Replying to ADGP (Traffic and Road Safety) Alok Kumar, Ravikeerthi, a social media influencer, shared a photo of a signboard on the Expressway that demarcates the lanes for speeds. The signboard shows separate lanes for 80 kmph – slow lane; 100 kmph – fast lane; 120 kmph – overtaking lane. “If you are booking cases for over-speeding for driving above 90 kmph, why does the National Highways Authority of India have this board? Is this an Expressway or a normal road? They should change the name from Expressway to Normal Highway and change the toll prices too,” Ravikeerthi stated.