15 high-risk spots made safer on Old Mumbai-Pune Highway
Mumbai: SaveLIFE Foundation in collaboration with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) Ltd Maharashtra Highway Police, and Highways Infrastructure Trust, has implemented road safety treatments at 15 fatality-prone locations along the Old Mumbai-Pune Highway section of NH-48 to significantly reduce crash risk.The initiative, which is part of SaveLIFE's Zero Fatality Corridor programme, prioritised interventions in road engineering, enforcement and emergency response to tackle the root causes of crashes and fatalities. The highway section saw 88 fatalities in 2024.As part of this initiative, a detailed assessment of road conditions was conducted through a combination of field surveys and data analysis. This helped in identifying high-risk or critical locations that were contributing to road crashes or unsafe traffic behaviour.Following the in-depth analysis, targeted road engineering solutions — known as safety treatments — were rolled out to tackle the root causes of crashes. These included better signage, speed-calming measures, improved visibility, safer pedestrian infrastructure, and redesigned junctions aimed at preventing collisions and saving lives..Dr Zafar Khan, Executive Director and Joint CEO, Highways Infrastructure Trust, said: 'Maharashtra recorded over 15,000 road crash fatalities last year, majority of them on highways—a stark reminder of the urgent need for systemic interventions. As part of our commitment to safer roads for all, Highways Infrastructure Trust has partnered with SaveLIFE Foundation to implement targeted safety measures along a high-risk stretch of the Old Mumbai- Pune Highway. Together, we are introducing speed-calming measures, improving pedestrian crossing visibility, and reinforcing lane discipline, with an aim to reduce fatalities on the corridor by 20 to 30 percent over the coming years. We believe that road safety must be engineered by design and are confident that this collaborative model will deliver measurable, replicable impact.'Along with the engineering interventions, enforcement measures were also initiated with the help of the state authorities. Enforcement measures were designed to improve compliance with traffic laws by preventing violations and encouraging safer road user behaviour.Piyush Tewari, Founder and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation, said: 'This initiative demonstrates what is possible when data, engineering, and strong partnerships come together for road safety. We are grateful to the MSRDC, Maharashtra Highway Police and Highways Infrastructure Trust for helping us implement life-saving solutions on one of Maharashtra's busiest highways.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
6 hours ago
- Economic Times
Just like stocks, TP motor insurance needs risk-based pricing: Dr. Tapan Singhel
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel As the Indian insurance industry continues to evolve to meet rising customer expectations and emerging risks, most product categories have adapted to digital third party (TP) motor insurance remains unchanged, despite being a mandatory and high-impact product. It is time we revisit this space and bring it up to date with the realities of today's mobility and risk premiums have remained essentially unchanged, except for a few categories, over the last five years. Leave aside inflation and other elements, the issue is much road safety situation is alarming. Every year, the country witnesses nearly five lakh road accidents, resulting in over one and a half lakh fatalities and leaving more than four lakh citizens injured. (source: MORTH)Despite these figures, third party motor insurance premiums remain fixed based on vehicle category, without factoring in the individual behaviour or history of the one-size-fits-all pricing structure fails to incentivise safe driving and often results in responsible drivers subsidising the riskier must create a more equitable system. De-tariffing third party insurance is not only about ensuring the viability of insurance business models or maintaining sound loss and combined is about building a more responsible, accountable and safety-conscious society. When premiums are based on individual risk, it brings fairness into the equation and encourages people to drive more carefully.A risk-based premium structure would enable insurers to assess factors such as driving history, claim frequency, accident records, and traffic violations when determining an approach would be beneficial for commercial vehicle operators as well. Fleet owners who invest in driver training, follow maintenance protocols and uphold safety standards would be rewarded with lower insurance costs, while others would be nudged to improve their fairness, the wider societal benefits are significant. A system that financially rewards safe driving behaviour could contribute to a tangible reduction in accidents and would ease the pressure on emergency medical services and public health infrastructure. Initiatives like the Zero Fatality Corridor on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway have demonstrated how behavioural and structural interventions can reduce road crash deaths by almost 60 per can play a transformative role. With tools such as GPS tracking, telematics , artificial intelligence-driven driving scores and digital claims histories, insurers can build detailed behavioural profiles for each driver or enables the creation of dynamic pricing models and even reward-based systems linked to performance. Insurance can thereby evolve from being a passive financial product to a proactive instrument for behavioural existing uniform pricing model for TP motor insurance does not reflect the complexity and diversity of road risks in today's world. De-tariffing presents an opportunity to realign pricing with real-world driving patterns and societal is a step towards making roads safer, insurance more personalised, and the system more efficient for all time to make insurance smarter, not only through technology, but also through purpose, where those who drive safely pay less and the benefits ripple across society as a whole.(The author, Dr. Tapan Singhel is MD & CEO at Bajaj Allianz General Insurance : Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Just like stocks, TP motor insurance needs risk-based pricing: Dr. Tapan Singhel
Live Events As the Indian insurance industry continues to evolve to meet rising customer expectations and emerging risks, most product categories have adapted to digital third party (TP) motor insurance remains unchanged, despite being a mandatory and high-impact product. It is time we revisit this space and bring it up to date with the realities of today's mobility and risk premiums have remained essentially unchanged, except for a few categories, over the last five years. Leave aside inflation and other elements, the issue is much road safety situation is alarming. Every year, the country witnesses nearly five lakh road accidents, resulting in over one and a half lakh fatalities and leaving more than four lakh citizens injured. (source: MORTH)Despite these figures, third party motor insurance premiums remain fixed based on vehicle category, without factoring in the individual behaviour or history of the one-size-fits-all pricing structure fails to incentivise safe driving and often results in responsible drivers subsidising the riskier must create a more equitable system. De-tariffing third party insurance is not only about ensuring the viability of insurance business models or maintaining sound loss and combined is about building a more responsible, accountable and safety-conscious society. When premiums are based on individual risk, it brings fairness into the equation and encourages people to drive more carefully.A risk-based premium structure would enable insurers to assess factors such as driving history, claim frequency, accident records, and traffic violations when determining an approach would be beneficial for commercial vehicle operators as well. Fleet owners who invest in driver training, follow maintenance protocols and uphold safety standards would be rewarded with lower insurance costs, while others would be nudged to improve their fairness, the wider societal benefits are significant. A system that financially rewards safe driving behaviour could contribute to a tangible reduction in accidents and would ease the pressure on emergency medical services and public health infrastructure. Initiatives like the Zero Fatality Corridor on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway have demonstrated how behavioural and structural interventions can reduce road crash deaths by almost 60 per can play a transformative role. With tools such as GPS tracking, telematics , artificial intelligence-driven driving scores and digital claims histories, insurers can build detailed behavioural profiles for each driver or enables the creation of dynamic pricing models and even reward-based systems linked to performance. Insurance can thereby evolve from being a passive financial product to a proactive instrument for behavioural existing uniform pricing model for TP motor insurance does not reflect the complexity and diversity of road risks in today's world. De-tariffing presents an opportunity to realign pricing with real-world driving patterns and societal is a step towards making roads safer, insurance more personalised, and the system more efficient for all time to make insurance smarter, not only through technology, but also through purpose, where those who drive safely pay less and the benefits ripple across society as a whole.(The author, Dr. Tapan Singhel is MD & CEO at Bajaj Allianz General Insurance : Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Speed limit likely to rise for heavy vehicles on Mumbai-Pune Expressway's ghat stretch
Heavy vehicles descending the Bhor Ghat section of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway might soon move down the slope a bit faster, with authorities considering an increase in the existing speed limits, officials and transporters have said. Deliberations are underway to raise the speed limit for heavy vehicles like trucks and buses from the current 40 kmph to 45-50 kmph on the downward incline of the Pune-Mumbai arm, also known as the Khandala Ghat. A decision is likely to be taken soon, they said. The current speed limit of 60 kmph for cars in the 10-km ghat section is unlikely to be changed. On other stretches of the country's first access-controlled expressway, the speed limit is 100 kmph for smaller vehicles and 80 kmph for heavy vehicles. The current limit on the ghat section, located between Lonavala in Pune district and Khalapur in Raigad district, results in frequent e-challans as it is challenging for heavy vehicles to move slowly on a sharp downward incline, slows down traffic and causes accidents, they claimed. After follow-ups and discussions, the authorities have given a positive signal for an upward revision of the speed limit, transporters said. According to transporters, particularly bus owners, e-challans have increased on the ghat section following the introduction of the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), which comprises several speed-monitoring cameras and other equipment, on the 95-km carriageway. A vehicle is fined Rs 2,000 for the first speed violation, and the amount increases for subsequent infractions. Teams from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), highway police, the state transport department and transporters conducted a joint survey of the ghat section last month to assess the ground reality. The transporters and a few officials called the current speed limit of 40 kmph for heavy vehicles on Bhor Ghat "unscientific", "unrealistic" and "unfair". Allowing these vehicles to move a bit faster would save time, fuel, maintenance costs and help avoid "unnecessary" e-challans, they said. Harsh Kotak, a bus operator and leader of the Mumbai Bus Malak Sangh, explained the practical aspect of the challenges faced by drivers. "In special gear, vehicles can only reach speeds of 7-10 kmph, while it's 25-28 kmph in first gear and 45-47 kmph in the second gear. But if you stay in first gear for too long, the vehicle crawls and disrupts traffic. In the second gear, you either overshoot the speed limit or end up overheating the brake drum due to excessive braking," he said. Kotak said they have requested the authorities to "scientifically" set the speed limit at 50 kmph. "Around 30 per cent of the e-challans are issued to heavy vehicles on this 10-km ghat stretch, often for speeds between 43 and 50 kmph," he added. KV Shetty, another bus operator, claimed there are no proper warning signs to alert drivers in advance to slow down. "Sudden braking often leads to accidents. The government calls it an expressway, but expects vehicles to run at 40 kmph," said the bus operator. Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar told PTI that they have received several complaints from transporters concerning the speed limits. He called the concerns valid as it is "practically difficult" for heavy vehicles to maintain such low speeds on the sharp downward slope. "MSRDC is the agency responsible for decisions regarding the ghat section, while the highway police will finalise the speed limit," Bhimanwar said, adding that his department has already written multiple letters to the highway police. Additional Director General of Police (Highway) Pravin Salunkhe could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts. However, an MSRDC official said the highway police were expected to convene a meeting to discuss the upward revision in the speed limit. Named after former chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan, the expressway was opened to traffic in 2002. It saw 191 accidents in 2024, according to official figures.
