Investigation of Black Spots, Safety Interventions, and Effectiveness Evaluation: Study Area – Nagpur-Amaravati NH

India faces the loss of nearly 1.5 million lives annually due to road accidents, with many occurring on National Highways. These incidents not only disrupt lives but also lead to a 6% GDP loss, highlighting the urgent need for effective road safety measures. Managing accident-prone areas, or black spots, has become a top priority to improve safety and reduce fatalities.

This study addresses two critical black spots on the Nagpur-Amaravati National Highway: a high-risk intersection and a curved section with poor visibility. Detailed investigations, including speed profiling, visibility analysis, preview sight distance evaluation, and accident data collection, helped identify the root causes of accidents. Key challenges included inadequate signage, poor lighting, and the absence of speed-calming measures.

Proposed Low-Cost, Effective Safety Interventions

To address these issues, low-cost safety measures were developed and implemented. These included improved retroreflective signage, speed-calming features like rumble strips, and enhancements to road markings and lighting. The solutions were designed to be practical, cost-effective, and quickly deployable without compromising safety.

Impact

The present study performed post-assessment studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented safety measures. These assessments revealed significant improvements, including reduced vehicle speeds and enhanced safety conditions. Over a two-year period, no accidents were reported at the targeted locations, highlighting the success of these low-cost interventions in preventing accidents and improving road safety.