RTO probe reveals why the massive 48-car pile up happened on the Bangalore-Pune highway

The major accident on Pune-Bengaluru highway is all over the news. In this accident a truck that lost control rammed into at least 48 vehicles on the highway. Several people were injured in this pile-up accident. After the accident, police who had reached the spot for rescue had said that the accident was caused by an oil tanker that had lost control. It was earlier assumed that the truck lost its brakes which lead to the accident however the investigation shows something different. Regional Transport Office officials who investigated the spot have now said that the truck did not have any brake failure.

They added that the accident was caused by the truck driver as he turned off the engine of the truck while driving down the slope. He put the truck in neutral and turned the ignition off to save fuel. This affected the functioning of the brakes on the truck and the truck kept on gaining speed as it drove down the slope. The police officials are now looking for the driver of the truck, who was identified as Maniram Chhotelal Yadav, who hails from Madhya Pradesh. The driver ran away from the spot after the accident. Cops have booked him under several provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and the Indian Penal Code.

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The downward slope on the highway increased the intesity of the accident. The accident also caused the oil from the tanker to spill on the road. Apart from the damaged vehicles, luckily there was no loss of life. Injured people were shifted to a nearby hospital. According to reports, the accident happend around 8:30 Pm on the Katraj-Dehu road bypass of Pune-Bengaluru highway. Heavy vehicles like trucks use a air brakes. There is usually a compressor that keeps on refilling the air brakes tank while the truck is in motion. Once the pressure drops, the compressor refills to maintain the required pressure.

In this case, the driver had turned the engine off which meant, the compressor was not working and the brakes were losing pressure. After a point, there is no sufficient pressure left in the tank and the speed of the truck had increased too. This is not the first time, we have come across a multi-car pile up accidents in India. Few years ago, Agra-Lucknow expressway also witnessed a similar accident where arund 50 cars were involved. During winters, the visibility on the expressway drops which is a major reason for such accidents. However in this case, the driver is clearly at fault.

Nevr turn off a vehicle whie coming down a slope. It would do more harm than good to your vehicle. If you  turn off the engine in your car, the electric power steering also shuts down and there is even a possibility that the steering wheel might get locked on a turn which would lead to an accident. Putting a car in neutral would also not help you are it would put more pressure on the brakes of your vehicle and after one point, your brake pads would overheat. It is always recommended to use engine braking while coming down a slope to avoid too much pressure on the brakes.

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