The fatal accident involving a Innova MUV and a Private bus occurred on NH-766 at Km.246+750 on May 29th 2023 near Kurbur Village in which 10 people (Cab driver and 9 tourists were killed on the spot) was caused as the car rammed head on into the private bus.
Prima facie, the accident appears to have occurred due to the car’s overspeeding, as clearly evident from the dashcam video of the private bus. There is a possibility that the driver may have briefly dozed off, as the vehicle followed a straight path. The car entered the opposite lane, and the driver attempted to steer the vehicle to the left at the last second but couldn’t avoid colliding head-on with the bus, resulting in a fatal accident that claimed the lives of 10 people and caused injuries to many. The bus driver also steered the vehicle to the right, possibly to avoid the accident. As a result of the accident, 10 people have lost their lives, while five individuals are currently fighting for their lives in a nearby hospital.
Using the design software AutoCAD Civil 3D the horizontal alignment of section was recreated using the aerial imagery. The horizontal curve features are shown in the picture below:
The site is a reverse curve separated by a short straight of 52m length. The radius of the first curve is around 215m with a transition of 50m is designed for 60kmph and the leading curve radius is around 270m with a transition of 40m which is also designed for 60kmph design speed. For a design speed of 60kmph the superelevation required is 5.00% and the actual super-elevation provided is unknown.
W-Beam crash barrier is provided covering both the curves with gaps and damages. As the design speed is reduced to 60kmph, the posted speed should have been 40kmph. The ensure road users respect the speed limit, adequate speed calming measures should have been provided which is missing at the accident site. From the dash cam video, it also clear that due to the overgrown vegetation the visibility was impaired to a great extent.
The following measures can be taken to ensure similar accidents don’t occur at this location:
- Providing scientific speed calming measures.
- Providing extra widening with phycological median using Road Markings.
- Providing audible road markings along the centreline and the edge lines to alert road users who may feel sleepy while driving.
- A digital speed indicator signs along with speed camera should be installed to record & penalize speeding vehicles which would force the road users to reduce the speed.
- Clear vegetation to ensure clear visibility is available for the maximum possible distance, or at least 180 meters of visibility is not blocked.
- Repair and terminate W-Beam barriers properly, ensuring there are no sharp edges left behind.
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