The Samrudhi Mahamarg – connecting Nagpur to Shirdi in Maharashtra –was inaugurated in December 2022. However, barely six months into its opening, it has turned into a death trap with news of frequent accidents grabbing the headlines.
Earlier in June, the state government said that 39 people have lost their lives and 143 have been hurt in accidents on the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway since its launch in December 2022 till the end of April this year.
"There were 358 accidents on the Samruddhi Corridor between December 12, 2022 and April 30, 2023. These include 24 accidents in which 39 persons were killed, while 143 were injured in 54 accidents, " the state highway police elaborated.
The police attributed the high number of accidents on the 520-km-long operational stretch of the expressway to ‘highway hypnosis’ syndrome, among other factors.
So what is highway hypnosis? What causes it? We explain.
What's 'Highway Hypnosis' – Blamed for Accidents on Shirdi-Nagpur Highway?
1. What is Highway Hypnosis?
Imagine this: You have been on a highway stretch for hours, the road ahead is empty except for a sign announcing that the next destination is 30 km away. As you just blink, you see another sign – which says your destination is just 15 km away.
You are pretty sure you did not fall asleep behind the wheel. After all, you didn’t collide into anything or cause an accident. But you are left wondering about what happened to those 15 kms?
Maybe you have had a similar experience while driving through town. Coming to a halt at a red light, you realize you cannot recall the last several minutes of your drive. You have no idea if you stopped at the stop signs and follow the speed limit.
Both of these are examples of highway hypnosis. It is a phenomenon that causes you to go into a trance-like state while driving.
But what causes this trance-like state? The monotony of the road may slow down your brain, leaving you less alert and more or less functioning on autopilot.
Expand2. What Causes it?
According to Healthline that provides health information, one may not always realise when highway hypnosis takes over. But some warning signs include:
Sleepiness
Loss of concentration or mental fogginess
A dull or dazed feeling
While highway hypnosis can occur, more commonly in tired drivers, fatigue is not the only cause.
Most existing research on highway hypnosis suggests monotony plays a significant part in this phenomenon.
What Do Studies Say?
A recent study noted that in terms of typical monotonous scenes, tunnels and highways are the two road environments more prone to lead to road hypnosis.
Another study used a driving simulator to study the effects of road monotony on 56 experienced male drivers. The participants “drove” on two different simulated roads for 40 minutes at a stretch.
Both roads were flat, but the first road only had a singular visual scenery: pine trees spaced equally on either side of the road.
The second road contained multiple visual elements, including trees, farms, signs, and people. Flat bridges and overpasses also broke up the scenery in several different places.
Researchers found that the drivers tended to show more fatigue, measured by large steering movements, while driving on the more monotonous road.
Also noteworthy was the fact their fatigue peaked after approximately 20 minutes of driving. This suggests highway hypnosis may happen very quickly on monotonous stretches of road, and not only after long periods of driving.
Apart from monotony, the system that controls eye movements, also plays a part in highway hypnosis.
When you drive along a road you know well or stare at a largely unchanging road for a long period of time, your brain begins to depend less on what you actually see.
Instead, what happens is your brain begins to depend more on your mental prediction of what you will see. Your brain switches to a less alert mode and begins to pay less attention to visual stimuli.
Third, you are more likely to experience highway hypnosis when you are tired.
The monotony of the road can lower brain alertness alright. But fatigue also has the same effect.
Expand3. What Are the Other Causes of Mishap on Samrudhi Mahamarg?
A recent study conducted by Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) there are four major reasons for accidents on the Samrudhi Mahamarg. They are:
Tyre-bursts
Lane-changing
Monotonous driving
Animal crossing
"Our study also found that the expressway during night is far more safer for travelling than during the day time. The time between 8 and 10 am was found to be most risky for drivers as drivers tried to fight fatigue and also adjust themselves to the sunlight," Professor Vishrut Landge of Department of Civil Engineering at VNIT told The Quint.
"The study which is still ongoing found that the rate of accidents on Samruddhi Mahamarg is on an average eight per day. There is high probability that the mishaps number are likely to increase once the entire stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg is completed and operational for the general public, " Professor Landge added.
Landge also added that many of these accidents occur as regular or city drivers are not accustomed to driving on the highways.
"And there is no guidance available as such for first time users of expressway. City drivers just speed their vehicles on highways without knowing or understanding the precautionary measures that are needed to be taken on highways, " he elaborated.
That the speed limit at the Samruddhi Mahamarg should be capped from the present 120 kmph to 100 kmph is something that activists from Maharashtra have been demanding.
Last month, they moved the Supreme Court with an intervention application in a fatal crash case to demand that the speed limit should be capped from the present 120 kmph to 100 kmph.
They cited the reason that 70 percent of crashes on highways and expressways in the state were due to over speeding.
Petitioner and activist Harshad Abhayankar told The Quint that the speed limit at Samruddhi Mahamarg should not be set at 120 kmph "until and unless fatalities on the stretch are under control."
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
Expand
What is Highway Hypnosis?
Imagine this: You have been on a highway stretch for hours, the road ahead is empty except for a sign announcing that the next destination is 30 km away. As you just blink, you see another sign – which says your destination is just 15 km away.
You are pretty sure you did not fall asleep behind the wheel. After all, you didn’t collide into anything or cause an accident. But you are left wondering about what happened to those 15 kms?
Maybe you have had a similar experience while driving through town. Coming to a halt at a red light, you realize you cannot recall the last several minutes of your drive. You have no idea if you stopped at the stop signs and follow the speed limit.
Both of these are examples of highway hypnosis. It is a phenomenon that causes you to go into a trance-like state while driving.
But what causes this trance-like state? The monotony of the road may slow down your brain, leaving you less alert and more or less functioning on autopilot.
What Causes it?
According to Healthline that provides health information, one may not always realise when highway hypnosis takes over. But some warning signs include:
Sleepiness
Loss of concentration or mental fogginess
A dull or dazed feeling
While highway hypnosis can occur, more commonly in tired drivers, fatigue is not the only cause.
Most existing research on highway hypnosis suggests monotony plays a significant part in this phenomenon.
What Do Studies Say?
A recent study noted that in terms of typical monotonous scenes, tunnels and highways are the two road environments more prone to lead to road hypnosis.
Another study used a driving simulator to study the effects of road monotony on 56 experienced male drivers. The participants “drove” on two different simulated roads for 40 minutes at a stretch.
Both roads were flat, but the first road only had a singular visual scenery: pine trees spaced equally on either side of the road.
The second road contained multiple visual elements, including trees, farms, signs, and people. Flat bridges and overpasses also broke up the scenery in several different places.
Researchers found that the drivers tended to show more fatigue, measured by large steering movements, while driving on the more monotonous road.
Also noteworthy was the fact their fatigue peaked after approximately 20 minutes of driving. This suggests highway hypnosis may happen very quickly on monotonous stretches of road, and not only after long periods of driving.
Apart from monotony, the system that controls eye movements, also plays a part in highway hypnosis.
When you drive along a road you know well or stare at a largely unchanging road for a long period of time, your brain begins to depend less on what you actually see.
Instead, what happens is your brain begins to depend more on your mental prediction of what you will see. Your brain switches to a less alert mode and begins to pay less attention to visual stimuli.
Third, you are more likely to experience highway hypnosis when you are tired.
The monotony of the road can lower brain alertness alright. But fatigue also has the same effect.
What Are the Other Causes of Mishap on Samrudhi Mahamarg?
A recent study conducted by Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) there are four major reasons for accidents on the Samrudhi Mahamarg. They are:
Tyre-bursts
Lane-changing
Monotonous driving
Animal crossing
"Our study also found that the expressway during night is far more safer for travelling than during the day time. The time between 8 and 10 am was found to be most risky for drivers as drivers tried to fight fatigue and also adjust themselves to the sunlight," Professor Vishrut Landge of Department of Civil Engineering at VNIT told The Quint.
"The study which is still ongoing found that the rate of accidents on Samruddhi Mahamarg is on an average eight per day. There is high probability that the mishaps number are likely to increase once the entire stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg is completed and operational for the general public, " Professor Landge added.
Landge also added that many of these accidents occur as regular or city drivers are not accustomed to driving on the highways.
"And there is no guidance available as such for first time users of expressway. City drivers just speed their vehicles on highways without knowing or understanding the precautionary measures that are needed to be taken on highways, " he elaborated.
That the speed limit at the Samruddhi Mahamarg should be capped from the present 120 kmph to 100 kmph is something that activists from Maharashtra have been demanding.
Last month, they moved the Supreme Court with an intervention application in a fatal crash case to demand that the speed limit should be capped from the present 120 kmph to 100 kmph.
They cited the reason that 70 percent of crashes on highways and expressways in the state were due to over speeding.
Petitioner and activist Harshad Abhayankar told The Quint that the speed limit at Samruddhi Mahamarg should not be set at 120 kmph "until and unless fatalities on the stretch are under control."
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)