What is the cause of fatal accidents at toll booths? An expert explains

The accidents that occurred two days apart at the Pendik toll booths have raised the question of 'why'.

In both accidents, the vehicles crashed at high speed into cars stopped at the toll booths without slowing down at all; is it road hypnosis, drivers thinking that the vehicles in front will pass through the toll booths automatically, or a lack of concentration on the road? An expert drew attention to the threats on the road and warned drivers.

In an accident that occurred on the Northern Marmara Motorway toll booths in Istanbul on Saturday morning, a vehicle crashed into the back of a truck waiting at the toll booths at high speed.

While four people in the vehicle lost their lives in the accident, another person lost their life this morning in another vehicle that crashed into a stationary truck at the Northern Marmara Motorway Mecidiye Toll Booths. Speaking to NTV, Automotive and Driving Expert Turgut Yüksekdağ shared information about the causes.

WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENTS?

Stating that accidents at toll booths are generally caused by the vehicle behind not reducing speed under the assumption that the vehicle in front will use the Fast Pass System (HGS), Yüksekdağ warned, "They think they will pass automatically, but one must also take into account that there are cars that are stopped to make payments or stopped for any other reason."

Emphasizing that road hypnosis also poses a major risk in accidents, Yüksekdağ said, "Especially if you do not have road concentration and are traveling at a certain speed, you may encounter road hypnosis. In fact, at that moment, you may not be aware of where you are on the road and what you might encounter. Another important thing is that we see drivers frequently dealing with their phones," he said.

Stating that driving a car requires full concentration every minute and every second, Yüksekdağ warned, "You will concentrate on the road. You will concentrate on your car. You will drive your vehicle according to the road and weather conditions."

"TOLL BOOTHS SHOULD BE ENTERED AT 30 KM/H"

Pointing out that another factor in the accidents is the road becoming slippery in rainy weather, Yüksekdağ assessed, "In this accident, the speed was not reduced again, and the assumption that there might be a vehicle or a truck there was not taken into account. It says that toll booths should be passed at a maximum speed of 30 kilometers, but drivers can arrive very fast."