Our national highways started getting a direction with the quadrilateral connectivity initiated by AB Vajpayee during his prime ministership. While some of them are yet to be completed, we today have in many locations these roads being upgraded to 6 lanes. Great news for the road user.
For those who regularly use the highways danger is always a micro second away. Many lives are lost due to bad maintenance inspite of the steep toll that is collected, recklessness of the driver, people driving the wrong way to save a round about U - turn.Most threatening and unsuspected danger is from the Green dividers.
We have cattle grazing happily on the grass and plants that are grown on the divider. It could be a heavy track that might rattle it or a playful run you might suddenly find a Cow/Buffalo on your face and next thing you know either it has toppled you or you have toppled it.
The other day we were traveling on the AH45 from Chennai to Nellore and as we were on the by-pass of Sullurpet, suddenly at 100 ft distance we see a buffalo jumping from the median and running across the road in front of us. In order to avoid the collision my cousin who was driving a new Mercedes C250 started hitting the brakes and veering the car towards the left. The unmindful buffalo continued its run and came and crashed into our car on the right side. It's long horn got entangled in the front windshiled and broke and the immediate impact of the huge mammel crashing into the side broke the driver side window glass into small pieces.
By the time our car got to a stop and we recover and see around us, we see small glass pieces all over the car in our hair and everywhere possible. We look back only to see the buffalo on the road bleeding, later we got to know poor fellow died on the spot.
While we escaped with minor bruises (probably thanks to the vehicle in which we were traveling) the suddenness of the whole event got us dazed. As we later analised, we realised my cousin just escaped a major lung puncture, if only the horn got to enter the window glass instead of the front windshield.
Leaving aside all other formalities that we had to follow to get the vehicle towed back to Chennai and continue with our journey, we realised how dangerous our highways are.
I understand from a friend who is associated with road laying companies, that it is a rule that peripheral fencing is a must along the highway without any breach, however this rule is flouted by the road contractors and also conveniently overlooked by the officials of the NHAI. This is part of the contract to mainly prevent cattle to come on to the highway. Incidentally it is against the law to let cattle on to a highway. But ignored by the cattle owners as the green grass is available on the road instead of going to a far off location.
As Highway users we are paying the toll for using the road and also constantly face teh threat of something happening to us. It may be worthwhile reading this article too, about road safety on our national highways.(http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/144117-cattle-real-menace-indian-highways.html)
Why our highways are not fenced as per the rules.
Cant NHAI at least get the dividers fenced, to prevent cattle coming in to the middle of a highway to graze.
What action do they take against the cattle owners who allow their cattle to graze on the highways.
Is it a PD or the security patrol who is responsible for these accidents on the highways.
In a normal way these questions will go un-answered, but as road users it is better we keep a watch for these cattle running across our roads and keep ourselves safe from a collision.
(copyright of these pictures rest with the respective owners, these have been used in this article to give the reader a perspective only)
