The stretch of Bengaluru-Mysuru national highway from the outskirts of the state capital and lying in Ramanagara district has claimed more lives in vehicular accidents in the past five years compared to the stretch lying in Mandya district till the outskirts of Mysuru, according to state police data.
From 2019 till the end of February in 2023, as many as 448 people were killed in 393 fatal road accidents on the Bengaluru-Ramanagara stretch, whereas there were 390 deaths in 378 road accidents involving fatalities on the Mandya-Mysuru stretch. Another 23 were killed in as many fatal accidents on the NH stretch lying within Mysuru city limits.
The Ramanagara stretch begins from NICE Road junction past Kengeri on the outskirts of Bengaluru and ends at Nidaghatta on the Mandya side of the border of Ramanagara district.
An expressway on the Bengaluru-Mysuru stretch is partially ready from the state capital till Nidaghatta. While Bengaluru-Nidaghatta stretch of the expressway was thrown open to vehicles late last year and formally inaugurated earlier this week, the rest of it till Mysuru is still in the works. ADGP R Hitendra said speeding and driver negligence were the reasons behind most of the accidents.
According to a senior IPS officer, there were more cases of head-on collision before the expressway development. “Now, cases of rear-ending or knocking down pedestrians, or running into vehicles joining the main carriageway from the service roads, are more,” he said. “In many places, service roads are in bad shape with potholes. At such places, more accidents are reported at night.”
Another senior IPS officer said diversions for repairs at multiple spots along the highway too contribute to accidents as motorists notice the boards quite late and end up ramming them.
