Speeding motorists turn KIA road into a death-trap

BENGALURU:  Bellary Road (also called KIA Road), right from where the first elevated road segment starts after Hebbal Flyover, is a death-trap. And it has been caused by motorists themselves rather than due to any fault in road design. Recently the road witnessed two back-to-back accidents — one on Sunday night in which an entire family of five including a 14-year-old perished, and the second, almost 24 hours later when a KSRTC bus rammed into the rear of a slow-moving lorry, severely injuring its driver and 13 passengers, who sustained minor injuries.  

According to the traffic police, bottlenecks and signals, just before the first elevated portion of KIA Road begins, lead motorists to over-speed causing fatal and non-fatal accidents. They confirmed that even cab passengers often goad the cabbies into driving faster so they can reach the airport in lesser time.

Due to this behaviour, despite providing distinctly marked lanes for fast- and slow-moving vehicles, most motorists — especially the cabbies — choose to pick lanes of their choice with the single-minded objective of getting ahead of all the others in the race to the airport, often reaching up to double that speed.
A senior officer from North Traffic Division, informed The New Indian Express that except for one or two scientifically doubtful features, like the height of the central median on the KIA Road, the road itself does not have any faults. 

The main problem is with the motor vehicles driver/riders. The KIA road (Bellary Road), apart from connecting with the Trumpet Junction to the airport, also connects with many districts. There are several villages on either side of the road, making matters worse. “We have been educating the people and students about road safety measures and are also asking them to be extra cautious while crossing the road,” the officer said. 

Senior traffic police officials have also pointed out that the central median’s height of barely one foot may not be adequate as vehicles travelling at high speeds can easily lose control and jump the median to crash into traffic in the opposite direction The other reason is drivers — again mainly cabbies — using mobile phones while driving or riding. 

RECENT ACCIDENTS 

May 27
An ambulance rammed into the median and jumped to the other side of the road and hit a car killing five people including a 14-year-old boy

May 28 
A KSRTC bus hit a container truck on the elevated road, leaving the driver seriously injured. 
13 passengers of the bus sustained minor injuries

February 20
Seven cars and one scooter met with an accident causing injuries to five. A cabbie driving at 120km/hr suddenly applied brakes, causing the accident