Car, reversing on NH9 to get onto the Meerut Expressway, mows down BTech student

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

NH9. According to the police, the car was en route to Meerut but mistakenly entered NH-9 instead of the intended DME. Realising the error after covering a distance of nearly 2km, the driver began reversing the vehicle.

Unfortunately, Krishnanshu's scooter collided with the car at high speed. Though Krishnanshu, a BTech student, was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, doctors could not save him; he was pronounced dead on arrival. The careless driver, who eluded capture after the collision and is still at large, has now been charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 279 (rash driving) and 304A (causing death by negligence).

The police have organised a squad and are searching through the CCTV footage to find the driver in the meanwhile. Unlike the Meerut Expressway, NH-9 allows for bike usage, but reversing on a particular carriageway is strictly prohibited as vehicles are meant to travel in one direction only. The police are actively trying to locate the driver and are relying on CCTV footage from shops and houses along NH-9, as the highway itself lacks surveillance cameras.

The accidents on DME and NH-9 have once again highlighted the lack of traffic rule enforcement on these highways. Wrong-side driving remains a significant concern, with bikes and auto-rickshaws frequently disregarding the bans imposed on them. The NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) is working with the police to create a method to stop wrong-side driving on DME and NH-9 as part of efforts to address this problem.