Mysore/Mysuru: As a result of the stringent measures implemented by the Police on Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway, the incidence of accidents has significantly decreased, providing a sense of relief to the law enforcement agency.

Previously, after the Expressway was opened for traffic in March, accidents, both fatal and non-fatal, had become commonplace. However, following the introduction of robust initiatives such as the trial run of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based cameras to capture instances of over-speeding, the deployment of five speed radar guns and the addition of ten Police Patrolling vehicles, the occurrence of accidents has considerably diminished.

This improvement is a direct outcome of the recommendations from the Road Safety Committee. Acting upon these recommendations, two patrolling vehicles now continuously patrol each of the two Expressway divisions.

In May, a total of 29 fatalities were recorded due to accidents on the Expressway and this number decreased slightly to 28 in June. Notably, the rate of accidents witnessed a gradual decline in July, with the death toll decreasing to eight.

Among these fatalities, three occurred within the jurisdiction of Ramanagara District Police, while five took place within Mandya District Police limits. Since the Expressway’s inception, over 100 lives have been lost in various accidents.

In response to fervent calls for rigorous action to curb the accident rate, ADGP (Traffic and Road Safety) Alok Kumar conducted a series of inspections on multiple occasions. Primarily, it was determined that over-speeding was a primary factor contributing to accidents, with vehicles often travelling at speeds ranging from 100  to 120 km/h.

Consequently, Police presence was enhanced at critical junctions to levy on-the-spot fines on vehicles exceeding speed limits. These interventions have been instrumental in curbing the incidence of accidents, as per the Police assessment.