80% accident deaths on KMP Expressway due to delayed medical help

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram , July 7

Sleep-deprived truck drivers cause majority of the accidents on the KMP (Kundli-Manesar-Palwal) Expressway, while lack of trauma centres in the vicinity proves fatal for around 80 per cent of the accident victims.

These facts were brought to the fore in a recent survey by the Haryana State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC). As per data, 60 persons died on this 135-km-long stretch between January and June last year, while the number has already reached 125 since January this year. According to officials, majority of the fatal accidents on the expressway involve stationary trucks parked along the roadside. Many drivers have confessed that being deprived of sleep, they tend to stop their vehicles along the expressway or doze off during the monotonous run. There have been many instances of vehicles ramming into stationary trucks on the expressway.

While it is claimed that the 11 ambulances deployed along the expressway can reach any accident spot within 12-20 minutes, there is no trauma centre nearby. The delay in taking the injured to the hospital reduces the chances of their survival. Overspeeding and lack of proper lighting are the other major reasons behind accidents here.

“Majority of the accidents involve sleepy truck drivers. We have ambulances, but trauma centres are far off. Steps are being taken to resolve both these issues,” said HSIIDC SDO RP Vashisht.

The KMP Expressway lacks basic facilities like stopovers and dhabas, etc. The commuters have repeatedly raised these issues, but to no avail. Despite repeated promises, no new trauma centre has been set up along the expressway.