A long drive to hospitals — 33 accident deaths on Yamuna Expressway already in 2022

NOIDA: The increasing number of fatalities in accidents on the Yamuna Expressway has given rise to questions on the proximity of the speedway to major hospitals.
Other than three first-aid centres set up near the toll plazas, accident victims with serious injuries on the 165km-long expressway are mostly rushed to private hospitals that are near the spot. At times, victims from as far as Aligarh are brought to hospitals in Jewar and Greater Noida for treatment.
On an average, it takes a minimum of 40-45 minutes for an accident victim to reach a hospital from the expressway. But that is only after the victim has been brought out of the mangled vehicle that met with the crash. So, by the time treatment is administered, it is over an hour from the time the accident has actually happened.
Officials agreed that there were several points on the speedway — especially around Aligarh and Mathura — from where hospitals were quite far away.
The situation turns all the more grim if an accident takes place late at night. Although there are three health centres run by Jaypee Infratech, the concessionaire for the expressway, they are not equipped to treat serious patients.
Considering the rising fatalities, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) has planned to set up two trauma centres along the highway.
Officials said land had been allotted in Sector 22E for the two trauma centres — a government and a private. While work on a 500-bed private facility is expected to start in July, it is likely to offer medical services in about a year. The government is also working on setting up a 200-bed hospital, for which land was allotted two years ago.
“There is a proposal to set up expressway police stations in Gautam Budh Nagar, Mathura, Aligarh and Agra. This will increase coordination between the police of different districts,” said Arun Vir Singh, the YEIDA CEO.
Jaypee, meanwhile, has decided to increase the number of ambulances and patrolling vehicles. “There are five ambulances as of now. Six will be added to the fleet soon. Likewise, the number of patrolling vehicles will be increased to 20 from 11. While the ambulances are parked near the toll plazas and first-aid centres, the patrolling vans are on the move round the clock. Each vehicle has to patrol a stretch of 15-20km. These additional vehicles will enhance our response time,” said Santosh Pawar, GM (operations) at Jaypee Infratech.
In the first four months of this year, the Yamuna Expressway has seen 33 people lose their lives in 93 accidents. These apart, 154 commuters have suffered injuries during this period.
Drivers falling asleep while at the wheel and overloaded heavy vehicles moving slowly on the speedway are seen as major reasons for accidents. “To bring down the number of accidents and analyse the reasons behind them, an Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) was launched recently. We have been continuously analysing accidents in our area. There are multiple causes of crashes, but drivers falling asleep and speeding are the major ones,” deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Ganesh Saha said.
According to him, most of the accidents take place between 2am and 5am. “We have been spreading awareness among commuters. We have also instructed the people at the Jewar toll plaza to counsel the people and check on the vehicles. If they think a driver is sleepy, the vehicle should be made to park for some time,” he said.
According to data sourced from the expressway concessionaire, 420 accidents were reported last year, when 135 people died and 949 were injured. In 2020, there were 509 accidents in which 128 people were killed.
According to a survey by YEIDA, 45% of the accidents are the result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel.
Speeding and violation of traffic rules account for 19% and 11% of accidents, respectively, on the expressway. Vehicles parked along the expressway also cause accidents.