Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway: 89,221 Vehicles Challaned For Over Speeding On Highway

The Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway has garnered attention due to frequent fatal accidents and numerous overspeeding incidents. Recently, the Karnataka department reported that 89,221 vehicles were booked for overspeeding on this expressway, which is South India's first fully access-controlled highway.

To address this issue, the Karnataka police will station officers at Mysuru's Kanimanike Toll Gate to catch speeding vehicles. Despite fines being issued through ANPR cameras along the stretch, many violators have not paid their fines online. Consequently, the police decided to collect fines manually from those caught speeding on the highway.

Manual Fine Collection

According to a report by Deccan Herald, only 5,300 out of the 89,221 fined drivers have paid their dues so far. Most of these violations involve personal vehicle owners. The police department aims to curb this trend by enforcing manual fine collection at key points on the expressway.

Karnataka's additional director general of police (ADGP) Alok Kumar mentioned that they might request the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to lower the speed limit if the rate of fatal accidents decreases. "We might request NHAI to bring down the speed limit if deaths caused on these roads are reduced," he said.

Strict Measures Against Overspeeding

In response to rising accidents due to overspeeding, Karnataka police announced that an FIR would be filed against commuters driving over 130 kmph anywhere in the state. This decision followed a series of accidents attributed to high speeds.

The Supreme Court monitoring committee on road safety recently highlighted a tragic accident on NICE Road that resulted in three fatalities. They alerted Karnataka police about the high rate of accidents caused by overspeeding in the state.

"In 2022, 90 per cent of fatal accidents in Karnataka were attributed to over-speeding. Of late, the Supreme Court monitoring committee asked us to make effective enforcement about this. In this direction, we registered FIR against those speeding above 130 kmph. Though it is extremely challenging, we will try to implement it," Alok Kumar stated earlier.

The deployment of police staff at strategic points like Kanimanike Toll Gate aims to enhance road safety and ensure compliance with speed regulations. The move is part of broader efforts to reduce accidents and improve overall traffic management on one of South India's busiest expressways.