Engineered for pace, not security? The value of a quick hall

On the evening of May 9, Deepesh Agarwal (23) slipped out for a drive along with his pals Sanchay Malpani, 22, and Priyanshu Mittal, 23, in his gleaming new Tata coupe, a birthday reward from his mother and father simply 5 months earlier. They had solely simply begun paying the EMIs. By daybreak, the automotive and the three younger males have been diminished to ashes in what’s now being known as one of the crucial grotesque crashes this 12 months.

The journey to Turkey, deliberate for May 10–20, was to be Deepesh’s final hurrah earlier than settling down and specializing in his profession. “Just let me go on this one journey, and after that, I’ll do no matter you need,” he had promised his mom, Indu. But destiny had different plans.

An inconsolable Indu remembers how Deepesh, the eldest son within the joint household, had at all times been bold and enterprising. “I by no means cease him however that evening, I simply felt one thing. I informed him to not go. He mentioned he was simply assembly pals close by,” she says, sobbing.

Around 11 p.m. that Friday, the trio had set off on a late-night drive on the Outer Ring Road (ORR), from Shamshabad to Ghatkesar. Almost three hours later, their automotive rammed right into a items provider parked negligently, with out hazard lights, close to Gandi Cheruvu bridge. The collision sparked a fireplace, more likely to have began from the automotive, and engulfed each automobiles. Police later mentioned the products automobile driver, Erukala Krishna, had stopped to assist one other trucker whose fruit crates had spilt on the street. But his failure to alert oncoming visitors proved deadly, mentioned an officer from Abdullapurmet police.

Also learn: Five killed in accident in ORR close to Bonguluru exit

Sanchay had already packed his baggage. His flight to the U.S. was simply weeks away. After years of arduous work, the 22-year-old was lastly headed overseas to pursue MBA— a dream he had chased with quiet dedication. But that evening, every little thing modified.

His uncle Ram, who was in Spain when the decision got here, nonetheless remembers the second his world crumbled. “The floor beneath my ft shifted. Sanchay wasn’t simply the youngest incomes member within the household, he was the brightest. He had already stepped in to handle our household’s tyre enterprise, one thing we have now constructed over generations. He had so many plans. It’s all gone now,” he says.

Grief now lingers on the Malpani residence in Hyderabad, a smooth four-storey house as soon as alive with chatter. Malpani’s elder brother Pranav, sitting quietly close to the doorway, shares, “He mentioned he was stepping out to seize a chew along with his pals. It was late, however that wasn’t uncommon. He and Deepesh have been very shut.”

Deepesh and Sanchay are among the many 31 folks killed on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) within the first 4 months of 2025 alone. The high-speed expressway, designed to make commuting quicker and safer, has as an alternative turn out to be a dying hall.

Around mid-July, 5 males have been killed in an identical late-night crash close to the Bonguluru exit, their automotive slamming right into a slow-moving lorry. When police arrived, the automobile was a mangled cage. The truck driver had fled.

Year after 12 months, the numbers outpace the warnings. Data from the Cyberabad Commissionerate exhibits 36 deadly accidents on the ORR in 2021, leading to 44 deaths. The toll rose in 2023 with 42 deadly crashes and 51 deaths, and remained excessive in 2024 with 42 accidents and 49 deaths. The first 4 months of this 12 months have already seen 16 deaths.

Rachakonda’s numbers mirror the pattern: 185 lives misplaced and over 540 injured on the ORR in 5 years. Despite temporary dips in fatalities, the street has remained perilous with 2023 rising because the deadliest but with 51 deaths. In 2024, the dying toll remained at 49, however accidents surged to 158, the very best within the five-year span. And 2025 is already off to a grim begin with not less than 15 fatalities and 38 non-fatal crashes.

Yet, enforcement gaps, poor signage and reckless driving proceed to be neglected, till the following crash forces the headlines.

A sample of peril

A deeper have a look at 5 years of ORR crash knowledge reveals chilling patterns. Some are constant throughout commissionerates whereas others are extra region-specific however one pattern is simple: the early morning hours, particularly between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., are the deadliest stretch of the day.

In Cyberabad, 46 accidents occurred throughout this window in 2021 alone. Though numbers dipped to 16 in 2022 and 15 in 2023, the chance persists, pushed by fatigue, low visibility and reckless rushing on near-empty roads.

Rachakonda echoes the sample. In 2024, 5 deadly crashes have been recorded between 3 and 6 a.m. — the identical quantity as throughout the 9 a.m. to midday slot, making them the deadliest intervals.

Also learn: 363 killed in 1,822 street accidents by mid-2025 in Rachakonda

Sundays and Thursdays additionally stand out as essentially the most accident-prone days 12 months after 12 months. In 2021 and once more in 2023, Thursdays topped the charts with 40 and 22 accidents, respectively. Sundays constantly adopted shut behind, seemingly as a result of late-night returns or weekend outings ending in tragedy.

Heavy automobiles are on the coronary heart of many of those crashes. In Cyberabad alone, vehicles have been concerned in 519 accidents over 5 years, resulting in 119 deaths and 436 accidents. Rachakonda’s 2024 knowledge present an identical story — vehicles accounted for 26 of 53 recorded accidents. But it’s automotive occupants who bore the brunt, and 39 of these crashes resulted in fatalities or accidents for these in smaller automobiles.

Two-wheelers, regardless of being formally banned on the ORR, stay a cussed presence. Cyberabad logged 25 such circumstances from 2021 to 2025, 9 of them deadly. The numbers differ — three in 2021, seven every in 2022 and 2024, and already 4 deaths within the first 4 months of this 12 months.

In Rachakonda, pedestrians, street staff and even lorry drivers have been among the many lesser-reported victims. In one occasion, a lone two-wheeler rider was fatally hit by a truck.

Most of the accidents occur at nighttime, says Cyberabad visitors inspector G. Guruvaiah, when enforcement is lax and riders are likely to stray onto the expressway, intentionally or not.

The knowledge makes one factor clear: stricter surveillance, higher signage and bodily deterrents at entry factors are urgently wanted, particularly throughout the off-peak hours when hazard hides at nighttime.

Spanning 158 kilometers, the ORR has developed its personal map of hazard — particular kilometre markers the place tragedy repeatedly strikes. Topping the record is the 144.5-kilometre stone, now notorious for seven deaths and eight accidents, making it the one deadliest level on the expressway.

Not far behind is the 14-kilometre marker, with 5 deaths and eight accidents reported over 5 years.

The 61-kilometre level is one other high-risk zone, with two fatalities and 7 accidents, adopted carefully by the 142-142.5 kilometre and 40.5-41 kilometre stretches, each of which have seen recurring accidents.

The 61-kilometre phase of the ORR inside Rachakonda jurisdiction is very advanced. It spans two visitors zones: Traffic-I (Yadgaripally to Musi Bridge) and Traffic-II (Musi Bridge to Harshaguda). Though seven toll gates — Keesara, Ghatkesar, Taramatipet, Peddamberpet, Bongloor, Ravirala and Thukkuguda — dot this stretch, they’ve accomplished little to rein within the dying toll.

Officials admit that present interventions are inadequate. Poor lane self-discipline, insufficient monitoring of heavy automobiles and unchecked rushing proceed to make these zones deadly.

ORR’s emergency community

To enhance emergency response, 16 Trauma Care Centres (TCCs) and 10 Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances have been arrange alongside key interchanges on the ORR. Launched in 2020 by Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited and now managed by TOT concessionaires, the system is run by two main healthcare suppliers — Apollo Hospitals and Yashoda Healthcare.

Apollo Hospitals manages 5 TCCs with ambulances at Pedda Amberpet, Bonguluru, Tukkuguda, Shamshabad and TSPA, and oversees further centres at Taramathipet, Raviryal, and Pedda Golkonda with out devoted ambulances. Yashoda handles an identical combine: 5 ambulance-equipped TCCs at Kokapet, Patancheru, Dundigal, Shamirpet and Ghatkesar, with centres at Kollur, Sultanpur and Medchal working with out ambulances.

Each centre, situated inside toll cubicles, has two beds, life-saving gear and telemedicine assist for real-time consultations. ALS ambulances, staffed by educated paramedics, cowl 8-kilometre stretches and meet nationwide care requirements.

Emergency care is free. Since launch, over 5,300 accident victims have been handled — 1,200 stabilised on-site and a couple of,000 given first-aid earlier than being transferred to hospitals like Osmania, Gandhi, Apollo DRDO and Yashoda.

Fast roads, gradual reforms

“The downside isn’t simply the driving force, it’s flawed street design,” says Madhav Pai, CEO of WRI India, which works with native and nationwide governments, companies, and civil society to handle India’s improvement challenges. Built for speeds of 120-160 kmph however with a lot decrease posted limits, the mismatch creates danger even for law-abiding drivers, he factors out, including: “Safety should be constructed into the street, not added later,” he provides, calling for normal security audits, higher signage, speed-calming measures like rumble strips and alignment of design and authorized speeds, particularly as developments equivalent to new land use, banquet halls, motels and repair roads change visitors patterns.

His WRI colleague Srinivas Alavalli advocates for steady monitoring utilizing cameras, pace detectors and signage that warns drivers of accident-prone zones and shares real-time accident statistics. “People have to see the associated fee; each dying needs to be a part of the general public dialog.”

On the opposite hand, street security writer and driver-training coach Naresh Raghavan believes driver behaviour is the first explanation for the accidents. “Driver behaviour has not developed with higher roads and quicker automobiles. People drive highly effective automobiles with minimal coaching and licences are issued with out educating the fundamentals.”

Speeding causes over 70% of ORR crashes, he says, pointing to reckless overtaking, poor lane self-discipline and gradual drivers clogging quick lanes as main triggers. Even with signage, entry/exit ramps confuse undertrained drivers.

“In different international locations, driving exams practice you to make choices at excessive speeds, for example, taking the following exit safely in case you miss one. That stage of coaching is lacking right here.”

Drunk driving stays one other risk. Cyberabad police issued 173 challans by April 2025 alone, 119 of these at one spot — Rotary Circle-II. These numbers stood at 423 challans in 2023 and 371 in 2024. “Alcohol dulls judgment and motor expertise. The concept of hitting excessive speeds at evening after a protracted day, and presumably a couple of drinks, is a recipe for catastrophe,” Raghavan says.

He criticises the push for “seamless driving,” which regularly means fewer patrols. “Abroad, patrol automobiles comply with suspicious drivers and conduct cell sobriety checks. We don’t have sufficient patrol vans on ORR, and even in different main Indian cities.”

Raghavan says most ORR crashes aren’t brought on by one mistake; it’s a chain of poor choices, lots of them completely preventable. He additionally underlines the lethal misuse of the street shoulder. “That strong white line on the left marks a shoulder; it’s not a driving lane. It is for emergencies solely. Parking there requires hazard lights and warning cones positioned 50 to 70 metres behind. But when folks overtake by way of the shoulder, it usually results in underrun crashes, the place survival is nearly unimaginable.”