NOIDA: The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) on Tuesday ordered mandatory wearing of seat belts for passengers of all cars plying on the Yamuna Expressway, which connects Greater Noida with Agra. “Two-wheeler riders will also not be allowed on the e-away without a helmet,” said Arun Vir Singh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), YEIDA. The order comes in the wake of an accident on the expressway on July 7, in which a speeding bus fell off the high-speed stretch into a drain, killing 29 people and leaving many others injured.
Nearly 22,000 vehicles use the stretch daily. Drivers not only violate the speed limit but also drive without wearing a helmet or the seat belt. According to data compiled by the concessionaire, 50 per cent of the accidents on the expressway involve cars, while 20 per cent involve two-wheelers. A total of 4,956 accidents, 718 deaths and 7,671 serious injuries were recorded on the expressway between August 2012 and March 31, 2018.
Since January this year, more than 130 accidents have taken place, claiming more than 50 lives. More than 50 per cent of these accidents occurred due to driver fatigue, while 8.3 per cent accidents were caused by speeding, and another 8.3 per cent by tyre bursts. Speaking to The Morning Standard, Singh said that though it was mandatory as per an apex court ruling of 2001 for occupants of a car to wear seat belts and for two-wheeler riders to wear a helmet, the rule was often flouted by commuters.
“It is time to tighten the noose around passengers who don’t wear a seat belt while travelling in a four-wheeler, and two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets,” he said. “We have written to the transport and police officials of Hathras, Aligarh, Mathura and Agra districts to ensure compliance.
They have also been asked to position mobile vans at entry/exit points with authorised personnel to implement the rule. Violators will be stopped from driving along the e-way, and if they manage to escape the attention of law enforcers, they will be stopped at the toll plaza and penalised,” he said.Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had on July 7 following the bus accident had ordered a probe and instructed senior officials to give long term recommendations to avoid such accidents in future.