Gurgaon Traffic Police started installing tire barriers near the Kherki Daula toll gate on Friday to reduce the number of accident-related fatalities on the Delhi-Gurgaon highway.
Police said they had identified 200 hot spots and would install crash barriers within 60 days.
Crash barriers will help absorb impact and reduce the severity of accidents. They are good for small and medium vehicles, but are not 100% successful at stopping heavy trucks and vehicles traveling at high speeds, resulting in rollover accidents.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Virender Singh Sangwan said: “We conducted rounds of discussions and site visits to understand the logic behind the crash barrier and with the help of the Delhi Road Safety Team, we installed it at two locations – —Kherki Dawra Toll and Bristol Crossing.”
Concrete barriers in New Jersey were removed and colored tire barriers were installed at the Kherki Daula toll plaza and Bristol Chowk crossing.
Police said the colored tires were installed so that U-turns and dividers could be easily identified at night or in conditions of low visibility or fog.
Sangwan said the crash barriers would be installed at locations with a visual distance of less than 40 meters and a curve radius of less than 50 meters. They will also be installed where intersections form sharp angles.
Sangwan said they plan to install framed metal crash barriers on expressways and major road sections. “Even if there is an accident, the impact will not be strong enough to cause death. The tires will bear the impact and fatal accidents can be avoided,” he said.
Traffic police said they studied the patterns and causes of the deaths and found that speeding and sudden lane cutting were the main causes of the accident.
Samwan said surveys were conducted at different locations in the district and the colored tires were provided by PSL.
The Gurugram Traffic Police have enforced universal speed limits across the city. The speed limit for cars on the highway is 90 km/h and for two-wheelers and heavy vehicles is 50 km/h. On main municipal roads, the speed limit is 50 km/h for cars and two-wheelers and 30 km/h for heavy vehicles. On national roads, the speed is 80 km/h for cars and 50 km/h for two-wheelers and heavy vehicles.
Gurugram reported 855 accidents between January and November 30, resulting in 360 fatalities in those accidents. According to the police, 409 people died in traffic accidents in 2021 and 375 in 2020.
