NEW DELHI: The National Capital Region (NCR) has benefitted greatly from the Centre’s expressway push. It has got a network of high-speed road corridors. With the speed benefit has come the bane of road accidents in winter months.
Haryana’s Nuh district on the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway saw multiple early‑morning crashes linked to dense fog, killing several, including a security force member, and injuring others. Observers say that poor visibility and uncontrolled speeds have become primary factors for such crashes.
Government data for 2022 and 2023 shows that foggy and misty conditions accounted for over 30,000 accidents each year, causing over 14,000 deaths.
Earlier, an official compilations under parliamentary queries noted that 2019 saw over 35,000 accidents, reflecting how deeply embedded the problem is in India’s winter transport landscape. Data from 2021, published by the Union Ministry of Road Transport, recorded over 13,000 fog‑linked deaths and more than 25,000 injuries, affirming that the seasonal risk.
Despite the scale of the problem, experts point out that India’s fog safety interventions remain limited. State authorities stick to just issuing advisories on reduced speed, use of low‑beam lights, hazard awareness, and clean windscreens.
In contrast, several countries with frequent fog conditions have integrated technological systems that actively detect and mitigate low‑visibility hazards. For instance, South Korea’s Road Hazard Weather Information System links real‑time fog density measurements to variable message signs, audio alerts, and LED warnings on major expressways.
They integrate meteorological data with navigation services to inform drivers ahead of hazardous conditions and automatically adjust advisories. Ongoing expansion of this network aims to cover more corridors by 2026.
In Europe and the US, infrared visibility meters, real‑time fog detection systems, adaptive variable speed limits, and fog algorithm support traffic management software help reduce accident rates by triggering automated warnings and enforced speed reductions long before drivers enter danger zones.