Tea & rest option for sleepy drivers on Yamuna e-way

Greater Noida: In the aftermath of the accident that killed five tourists on the Yamuna Expressway early on Thursday, traffic police and toll plaza officials have decided to start awareness campaigns for safe driving and initiate measures to help sleepy drivers stay awake.
Drivers who feel sleepy late at night would be offered tea and water near the toll plazas and asked to park their vehicles along the road and take a nap. On Thursday, the driver of the Bolero ferrying the tourists was believed to have dozed off and failed to slam the brakes on time. The speeding SUV, as a result, crashed into the rear of an overloaded truck that was moving slowly.
According to a survey conducted by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), 45% of accidents on the 165km-long speedway are the result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel. Most of the accidents, the survey says, occur between 2am and 5am. Thursday’s accident took place around 5am.
“We conducted a site inspection. According to our analysis, the driver may have been sleepy and could not apply the brakes when the truck in front slowed down suddenly. We have spoken to officials at the Jewar toll plaza. They will take preventive measures soon,” said Ganesh Prasad Saha, the deputy commissioner of police (traffic), Gautam Budh Nagar.
Since vehicles are not allowed to be parked on the expressway, the toll plaza authorities have decided to keep aside space for drivers to stop and take rest. “At the Jewar toll plaza, we will offer tea and water from midnight till 2 or 3am to drivers who feel sleepy. We have 16 lanes here. So, a few of them could be set aside for parking vehicles. Drivers would be encouraged to resume their journeys only after 5am,” said Sumit Kumar of the Jewar toll plaza.
The move to offer tea and refreshments is not new. During the winters, when visibility on the expressway is reduced to a few metres, drivers are offered tea to help them stay awake. The Yamuna Expressway has been notorious for accidents. Since 2016, a total of 4,223 accidents have claimed 893 lives and left 8,654 people injured, according to data sourced from the private concessionaire.
These apart, toll plaza employees will make announcements on safe driving. Other measures to break the monotony of drivers are also being discussed.
Saha assured that the traffic police would increase the use of speed radars on the expressway. Jaypee, which manages the expressway, has also said it will increase the number of ambulances from 5 to 11 and patrolling vehicles from 11 to 20.
“We will write to YEIDA so that signboards are set up to spread awareness about driving. We will also ask them to conduct a survey to identify blindspots along the expressway. We have made it mandatory for the first response police vehicles to fill the accident details on to the integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) platform so that the numbers can be analysed for the future,” Saha added.
Sunita, one of the two Bolero passengers injured, meanwhile, is showing signs of recovery, doctors at Kailash Hospital said. Narayan, the other injured tourist who was behind the wheel, is still critical.
“Sunita has gained partial consciousness and is stable. Narayan is still critical. We may have to conduct a surgery on him. He is still in the ICU,” said Dr AK Singh, the medical superintendent.
Police are still trying to trace the truck driver,.