Driving on pot-holed Indian roads has always been risky. According to World Road Statistics (2007), more than 95,000 people were killed in road accidents in India, with Delhi contributing 2,169 deaths to the toll. Second only to China in the number of deaths on road, several highways and expressways that have come up in the country in recent years were expected to check India's alarmingly high rate of road fatalities. But, exactly the opposite is happening, with death toll rising on the expressways.

Though no Indian city can claim to have an exclusive intra-city expressway, a number of inter-city highways are being used by a large number of commuters for travelling within the cities. These days Eastern and Western Express Highways in Mumbai, DND and Delhi-Gurgaon highway in the Capital, Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in Kolkata, Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway in Gujarat, and Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor are not only used by vehicles going from one city to another, they are also being used by people travelling within the city and to the suburbs.

The Delhi-Gurgaon expressway is being used by at least 1.2 lakh vehicles, excluding some 40,000 two- and three-wheelers, every day.

Though the excellent condition of roads on these expressways is a big relief, the number of accidents and deaths is a matter of concern. Before it was converted into an expressway, the Delhi-Gurgaon road saw more than 4,000 accidents since 2003. Some 200 people died and 2,000 were hurt in these accidents. Since January 2008, when it became an expressway, 16 people have been killed on this road. The accident figures for other expressways are equally depressing. Mumbai's WEH registered 116 fatal accidents in 2006. Last year, fatalities dropped to 63. This year, the highway has already seen 47 deaths. The EEH, notorious for over speeding vehicles, has claimed 43 lives this year.

In Bangalore, the number of persons killed on the expressway rose from 183 to 215 between 2001 and 2005. In 2006, the figure jumped to 344. The Ahmedabad expressway records at least one accident every day and one major accident every four days.

The death figures are horrifying, but what is really scary is the complete lack of efforts to check the rising toll. Though, most mishaps are caused due to speeding and rash driving, almost all expressways have failed to apply mechanisms to check the menace. With the new generation of cars ruling the roads and most drivers changing lanes as often as possible, it's not surprising that the accident rate is rising. But, according to accident figures, many accidents are caused by two- and three-wheelers, which often stray into the lanes meant for bigger vehicles.
According to traffic experts, the main reason for the deaths is the erratic police patrolling, absence of ambulance services, and the lack of proper traffic and weather forecasts. With most people driving blindly, with no information about the traffic ahead, the chances of speeding are quite high.

Driving, especially overtaking, on high-speed expressways requires skill and training. And an expressway is not a place for two- and three-wheelers. Many countries have reduced the number of accidents by banning two-wheelers on expressways (see box). Some experts feel that apart from good road maintenance and efficient emergency services, what is needed to make our expressways safe is an additional test conducted for drivers who use these roads. Till that happens, the expressways will continue to be deathtraps for speeding drivers.