88 killed in accidents on Samruddhi expressway since Dec 2022: Official

As many as 88 people have lost their lives in road accidents on Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra, including 25 on Saturday as a private bus caught fire after hitting the divider, since it was partially thrown open last December, an official said.

Road hypnosis is cited as one of the causes of the accidents on the six-lane wide access-controlled expressway, the state highway police official said.

Highway hypnosis or driving hypnosis is a condition when the driver zones out while driving a vehicle without remembering what occurred in that specific period.

A total of 39 fatal accidents have occurred on the Nagpur-Mumbai expressway since last December, the official said citing data.

Besides, 616 minor and major accidents have occurred on this expressway in which 656 people sustained serious and minor injuries, he said.

Most accidents were caused due to reasons like over-speeding, drivers dozing off at the wheel, and tyre bursts.

The official said Highway Police are trying to tackle the issue of road hypnosis.

Across Maharashtra, 15,224 people were killed in road crashes in 2022, he added.

In the early hours of Saturday, 25 passengers were charred to death as the private bus they were travelling in caught fire after hitting the divider on the expressway in Buldhana district, police said.

The 701-kilometre Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg is now operational on a 601-kilometre stretch from Vidarbha's largest city to Bharvir in Nashik.