Two youths on a motorcycle were killed in an accident on the flyover passing through Maddur on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway on Sunday.
Sources in Maddur Traffic police told The Hindu that the youths, employed in a multinational company in Bengaluru, were on their way to Mysuru when the accident occurred around 5.45 a.m.
The dead have been identified as Mani and Janardhan, both in their twenties, hailing from Koppal and Kolar respectively.
The front portion of the two-wheeler was badly damaged. The traffic police have not been able to identify the other vehicle involved in the accident, but suspect that the two-wheeler may have hit the other vehicle from behind while overtaking it.
The absence of CCTV cameras on the expressway is posing a challenge to the police in identifying the other vehicle.
The deaths come less than a week after three persons travelling in a car were killed in an accident at Gejjalagere, near Maddur.
The frequent accidents on the expressway attributed to flouting of road safety rules by drivers have become a source of concern. “Many vehicles overspeed on the expressway. Lane discipline is thrown to the winds, particularly by trucks,” said a traffic police official.
Trauma care centre
Meanwhile, Dinesh Gooli Gowda, MLC, has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar seeking a trauma care centre, with advanced medical treatment facilities, midway on the expressway and deployment of ambulances at every 30 km on the road.
A total of 595 accidents in which 158 people died had been recorded since September 2022 on the 118 km-long highway, 55 km of which passes through Ramanagara district, 58 km through Mandya district, and 5 km through Mysuru district, he said.
A total of 55 people had died and 52 suffered injuries in accidents only in the Mandya district stretch of the highway since January this year, he said.
With no speed limit, vehicles travel at speeds between 120 and 140 km per hour, the MLC said.
He said victims of road accidents on the highway would have to be taken to hospitals either in Bengaluru or Mysuru. As it was necessary to rush them to hospitals within the “golden hour”, Mr. Gowda urged Mr. Siddaramaiah to consider setting up a trauma care centre midway on the expressway.
In view of the time taken for ambulances to reach the accident spot, he said ambulances should be stationed at every 30 km on the highway so that the victims of accidents are rushed to the hospital.
