Drive with caution on expressway, warn Lokmanya doctors

Doctors at the Lokmanya hospital, who have treated over 1.5 lakh patients injured on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and saved over 40,000 lives, have cautioned against speeding especially during the rainy season.

The hospital had launched 22 ambulances on the Express highway at the Surat-Baruch stretch, Mumbai-Pune expressway, old Mumbai Pune highway, Pune-Nashik highway, and has been running a trauma management system since 1998, says Dr Shrikrishna Joshi, senior general manager at Lokmanya. Mobile criticalcare units have also been set up for every 20 km stretch of the expressway. The majority of accidents are on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, says Joshi the former Emergency Medical Service (EMS) coordinator at the hospital.

Due to high-velocity trauma,patients suffer injuries on the head, chest, abdomen, bone and soft tissue, besides spinal cord. High speed, disregarding rules, and non-maintenance of vehicles are some of the prime reasons for such accidents, doctors involved with the trauma project pointed out.

"We had launched the golden hour project with the aim of providing treatment within 60 minutes of the accident. Here pre-hospital management at the spot has gained importance as we were able to transport victims with care," says Joshi.

Driving during heavy showers, lightning and storm can escalate stress and anxiety levels of driver as well as co-passengers. The weather conditions demand good judgment, skills, safety precautions, planning and common sense on the part of the drivers to ensure safe navigation of vehicle, doctors pointed out.

Among the dos and don'ts are turning on the headlight and tail-lights during monsoon. Guidelines issued by the hospital include checking for oily patches to avoid skidding, a thumb-rule for maintaining three seconds gap should be followed for safety reasons during monsoon. Slowing down is the best policy, say doctors who also recommend that the vehicle should avoid driving over waterlogged patches.

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