Mercedes-Benz India, in collaboration with the Maharashtra government and SaveLife Foundation, has launched a road safety project on the Samruddhi Highway

MUMBAI: It is certainly a welcome development that Mercedes-Benz India is collaborating with the Maharashtra government on a major road safety project focused on the Samruddhi Highway through its CSR initiative, which is proving to be a model at the national level.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his belief that its successful implementation has paved the way for the model to be implemented on other high-risk roads in Maharashtra.Welcoming the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Mercedes-Benz India through SaveLife Foundation as a partnership on the road safety project on Samruddhi Highway, the Chief Minister said that approximately 10 lakh vehicles travel on this highway every day. In that regard, road safety on this highway is of utmost importance.Therefore, it is a matter of joy that Mercedes-Benz India, a leader in the automotive industry and safety, wants to take the initiative and contribute significantly to this effort.Samruddhi Highway is an ambitious project of the Maharashtra government and is an expressway connecting Maharashtra and serving as a lifeline for commerce, tourism, and daily travel for thousands of people. The work on this highway connecting ten districts has been completed at a fast pace and has provided a very useful facility for fast travel in a short time. The entire work on the 701 km Samruddhi Highway has been completed.The first phase from Nagpur to Shirdi (520 km) was opened for traffic on 11 December 2022, and the second phase from Shirdi to Bharveer (80 km) was opened for traffic on 26 May 2023. The third phase from Bharveer to Igatpuri (25 km) was opened for traffic on 4 March 2024, and the remaining 76 km from Igatpuri to Amne (Tal. Bhiwandi, Dist. Thane) is planned to be opened for traffic soon.Mercedes-Benz India, as a responsible corporate citizen, committed to its values of safety, in collaboration with SaveLife Foundation (SLF) and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), has launched the road safety initiative “Zero Death Highway on Samruddhi Highway” (ZFC) in March 2024. The initiative will be implemented until 2026.This is a major project being implemented on the 701 km long Mumbai–Nagpur highway, in which measures based on the “four Es of road safety” – Engineering, Enforcement, Emergency Care and Education – are being implemented. This has resulted in a 29 percent reduction in accidental deaths (151 deaths in 2023, 107 in 2024). Similarly, this initiative has identified critical fatality zones (HFZs), and 39 percent of deaths have occurred in just 17 percent of the highway length (till December 2024). For safe travel, continuous safety audits, measures and emergency service improvements are being implemented through multi-agency coordination, and a key component is coordination and partnership, in which cooperation is being taken through seven consultation meetings with Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), Police, Health Department.