According to Maharashtra’s highway police, driving on the state’s Samruddhi Expressway, a six-lane and 701-km stretch, has become a major cause for concern: 88 people have died on the expressway in the past six months. This includes an incident on July 2, where a private bus collided with a divider and subsequently caught fire, resulting in 25 fatalities. These accidents are now being attributed to ‘highway hypnosis’.
Highway hypnosis, also referred to as ‘white-line fever’ or ‘driver"s hypnosis’, is a psychological condition that can occur while driving for extended periods. Drivers enter a trance-like state or a diminished level of awareness, causing them to become less attentive to their surroundings and operate in a semi-automatic mode. Consequently, this mental state increases the likelihood of accidents.
As per officials, 39 fatal accidents have taken place on the Samruddhi Expressway since December 2022. To add to the this, 616 minor and major accidents, mostly caused by speeding, drivers dozing off, and tyre bursts, have also occurred on this expressway, inuring 656 people.
First Published: Jul 04, 2023, 10:33
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