Hyderabad (Telangana) : Hyderabad's Outer Ring Road (ORR), which has been constructed with prestige and state-of-the-art technology, is turning into a death trap even if there is slight carelessness on the part of vehicle users. The highspeed road is full of speeding vehicles and the risks are increasing by the day.
Deaths are happening in the blink of an eye on the ORR and accidents increased by 127 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. In the wake of the death of Secunderabad Cantonment MLA Lasya Nandita, the discussion on the dangers of driving on ORR has started yet again.
Daily traffic of 1.5 lakh vehicles:- The 158-km long ORR built around Hyderabad is the backbone of the entire state. Vehicles can travel at a speed of 120 kmph unlike anywhere else in the state on this 8-lane road. About 1.5 lakh vehicles ply on it every day. Accidents are happening on this state-of-the-art road because many people are driving vehicles at high speeds and carelessly.
Speed thrills but kills:- The main cause of accidents on the ORR is excessive speed. Here you can go at a maximum speed of 120 kmph. But the police say that most of the vehicles are going at a speed of 140-160 kmph. They said that all the vehicles that went at a maximum speed of 200 kmph were detected. A large number of cases are registered daily against over-speeding vehicles.
When the vehicle is going at such speed it becomes difficult to control in an emergency. Police say speeding was also the cause of MLA Lasya Nanditha's death on Friday. The increasing number of accidents and deaths on this road is causing concern. In 2022, 170 people died in accidents on the ORR, and by 2023, the number had increased to 216.
During the construction of the ORR, several political leaders simultaneously changed the alignment nearly a hundred times to protect their lands. As a result, this road is constructed with many bends. Near these bends, motorists lose control of their vehicles and crash into the adjacent railing. Many people lose their lives in such incidents.
Confusion of Lane Speeds:- ORR has 4 rows on one side and four rows on the other side. A driving speed of 120 kmph is allowed in the first two rows. The speed limit in the remaining 2 rows is 80 kmph. Many accidents happen in this confusion of lanes. Vehicles traveling at a speed of 120 kmph are sometimes bumping into the adjacent 80 kmph lane and hitting the vehicles there. Accidents are also caused by some motorists going from an 80 km lane to a 120 km lane at once.
Lorries on ORR have to go in an 80 km lane. Some drivers go into the 120 km lane and cause accidents, sources said. Accidents sometimes occur due to the sudden stopping of a speeding lorry. Some people going from Gachibowli to Shamshabad Airport on ORR are driving fast and causing accidents. In some places, accidents are also caused by vehicles entering the ORR from the service road without using the signal system. Accidents also occur due to drivers suffering from sleeplessness.
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