New Delhi: Seeing recent increased number of bus accidents including sleeper coaches Union Ministry of Road transport & Highways (MoRTH) is planning a new code of practice for bus body design .
“During recent bus accidents the number of deaths could have been avoided with timely help and delay caused in cutting the bus body to bring out the injured and the other passenger’s. Most developed countries have glass roofs which can be easily broken and the passengers can be rescued . The bus designs especially of sleeper coaches is such it takes hours and special cutting tools to cut the vehicle and rescue the passengers “ said Mr Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road transport & Highways (MoRTH) while speaking at a seminar Accelerating the Safe Systems Approach to Road Safety (IRASTE) organised by Central Road Research Institute (CRRI)
“Apart from the New bus making code , the government also plans to equip ambulances with cutting tools and train the ambulance attendants to use them . Most of the time it is difficult to find or source cutting tools. Most of the ambulance and cranes parked at toll plazas are ornamental and non-functional most of the time. Ministry is finding ways to keep a check on such organization’s handling toll plazas” Mr Gadkari said.
“Country has 2.4 % of national highways with about 36 % fatal accidents. The states and municipalities have equal responsibility for reducing road accidents deaths and providing timely help. Increase in fatal road accidents in metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore , Kolkata is a matter of concern . Road engineering & black spots need to be identified to reduce accidents . The Detailed Project Report (DPR) consultants who sit in offices and prepare reports with the help of Google also need to be tamed “ Mr Gadkari said.
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help reducing road accidents in the country in a big way as it can be used to optimize traffic flow, manage congestion, thus reducing the risk of accidents,” he added.
“Artificial Intelligence can help monitor driver behavior, can detect signs of fatigue, distraction, or impaired driving and provide warnings or take control of the vehicle to prevent accidents. It can also help in different ways, including better collection and analysis of crash data, enhancing road infrastructure, increasing the efficiency of post-crash response, and inspiring innovation in the regulatory frameworks. “ said Mr K K Kapila, President Emeritus, International Road Federation (IRF) , a global road safety body while delivering the keynote address
“India being a developing country accounts for 11 per cent of global road accident deaths . The benefits of new technologies including AI when adopted by developing countries will help in closing the digital and road safety divide around the world .India is signatory to the UN declaration to reduce 50% road accidents by the year 2030 Union Ministry of road transport and highways has reduced the target to the year 2025 . International Road Federation (IRF) as part of its effort to reduce road accident deaths is focusing on 5E’s of road safety including Road Engineering, Vehicle Engineering , Education, Enforcement and Emergency care “ said Mr Kapila,
“ with the help of a unique Artificial Intelligence (AI) approach, using its predictive power to identify risks on the road, a project named ‘Intelligent Solutions for Road Safety through Technology and Engineering’ (iRASTE) is being implemented in Nagpur city and Hyderabad as a pilot project with an objective to significantly reduce road accidents.The project has been initiated in a collaboration between Intel India, IIIT Hyderabad, Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), Mahindra & Mahindra and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). Apart from identifying potential accident-causing scenarios while driving a vehicle and alerting drivers about the same with the help of the Advance Driver Assistance System (ADAS), the project will also identify ‘greyspots’. It will be identified by data analysis and mobility analysis by continuously monitoring dynamic risks on the entire road network” said Prof M Parida , Director, Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) while speaking on the occasion .
“The new initiative aims to strengthen global AI efforts across the public and private sectors to improve safety for all road users — whether traveling by automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, foot or other transportation modes,” he added .