Experts Warn: New Experiment on Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway Poses Fatal Risk

On the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway, rumble strips (yellow speed bump strips) are being installed every 100 meters. This innovative experiment, starting from Nadiad, has been initiated by the National Highway Authority, claiming that it will help reduce accidents. However, there are concerns that this effort to save lives may inadvertently lead to fatalities, as emergency vehicles might also face difficulties due to these rumble strips.

Potential Issues with Rumble Strips

What are the potential harms of installing rumble strips? How could these strips cause problems in the critical moments following an accident? To understand whether emergency vehicles could face challenges, Divya Bhaskar spoke with Dr. Pravin Kanabar, President of the Active Traffic Consultative Committee and Orthopedic Surgeon, retired RTO officer G.M. Patel, and representatives from the National Highway Authority (NHAI).

Rumble Strips Being Installed on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway

Work to install rumble strips on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara National Expressway No.1 has started from the Kheda district. Drivers often overtake from the emergency lane (third lane), causing accidents. To reduce such accidents, rumble strips are being placed every 100 meters along the highway towards Vadodara. The claim is that vehicles in the emergency lane will have to slow down because of these strips. Since the rumble strips create frequent obstacles, drivers will not be able to maintain high speed for long stretches, thus reducing accidents.

Rumble Strips Installed Over 40-50 Kilometers

An NHAI representative, who requested anonymity, told Divya Bhaskar that the installation of rumble strips will cover a 93-kilometer stretch of the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway, with work beginning in Nadiad. As of now, around 40-50 kilometers of the work has been completed on the Nadiad to Anand section.

Six Strips in One Set

The representative added that currently, these rumble strips are being installed every 100 meters, with each set consisting of six strips. This is being tested as part of a trial phase, as this new initiative was recently added to NHAI’s guidelines. The main purpose of the strips is to prevent drivers from overtaking in the wrong side (left lane), making them aware of the strips and causing vibration, which will discourage speeding. It will take approximately two to three months to complete the work.

Awareness Needed Along with Efforts to Reduce Accidents

The representative said that while they are making efforts to reduce accidents, people also need to follow traffic rules. If people understand this, the need for such interventions may not arise at all.

Emergency Vehicles May Face Delays

Explaining the rationale behind installing rumble strips, the representative said that the strips will slow down vehicles, but the exact extent is unknown. Factors like the height, length, width of the strips, and the noise they generate will affect vehicle speed and cause vibrations, which could disrupt emergency vehicles. In such cases, it is natural that emergency vehicles may not reach accident sites on time. In accidents, 50% of fatalities happen within the first 10 minutes. If patients receive immediate treatment, 30% could survive.

Ambulance as First Responder

They continued, “While we know about the golden hours, now the platinum minutes are the key. If a person with severe injuries receives help from a first responder within 10 minutes, they have a chance of survival. Ambulances are the first responders, and while rumble strips are good, they will also slow down emergency vehicles. It would be better to focus on raising awareness in people rather than relying solely on these interventions.”

Increase in Vehicle Numbers

They also mentioned that 20 years ago, when the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway was constructed, it did not anticipate the number of vehicles on it today. A possible solution could be to widen the road and add new lanes. However, the current width of the highway limits such expansions without land acquisition.

Challenges with Poor Roads and CPR

Dr. Pravin Kanabar shared his own experience: “My wife suddenly had a heart attack. We called an ambulance, but by the time we reached the hospital, her heart had stopped. We needed to perform CPR, but the road was so bad that the ambulance kept swerving, and we couldn’t administer CPR. This shows how crucial smooth roads are in such situations, and if CPR is needed on such roads, it will be difficult.”

Feedback from 108 Ambulance Workers Needed

The representative added that since the rumble strips have been in place for about a month, it is important to get feedback from 108 emergency ambulance staff about whether the number of accidents has increased or decreased. It is essential to include those with experience on this road to gain valuable insights.

Rumble Strips Should Be Used in Cities

There is a demand for rumble strips in city areas where people tend to drive fast. However, in cities, emergency vehicles do not face as many challenges, so the primary focus should be on educating people to drive safely, reducing accidents by encouraging awareness rather than relying solely on rumble strips.

International Examples

The representative mentioned that during their travels to countries like the US, UK, France, Germany, and Southeast Asia, they have never seen rumble strips used in hard shoulder lanes to slow down vehicles. If this experiment is aimed at preventing overtaking in the emergency lane, then it should be accompanied by proper ambulance services, including air ambulance options, to ensure timely assistance in case of accidents.

Overtaking from Emergency Lane Should Be Prevented

Finally, they emphasized the importance of the hard shoulder lane, which is meant for emergency vehicles. Over the past 20 years, Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway has been equipped with three lanes on both sides. The middle lane is for medium-speed vehicles, the fast lane is for faster-moving vehicles, and the left lane (hard shoulder) is specifically for emergency vehicles. It is essential that no vehicles park or overtake in this lane.