Page 25 - Traffic infratech magazine

FOCUS

“Today, even after a decade fatalities, injuries and crashes. Even
of crash investigations, the main basic laws and rules mentioned in
challenge we face is in getting the Motor Vehicles Act, Central
post-crash data from emergency Motor Vehicles Rules, IRC codes,
medical services and hospitals Automotive Industry Standards,
where victims have been admitted. etc. need to be constantly Traffic data
It is important for the medical monitored for their effectiveness is the next
fraternity in India to share detailed and have to be revised or updated
injury data using techniques such using crash data as evidence. big thing. It
as Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), Unless we adopt a data-driven is the heart
which combined with in-depth approach right from the central
crash data, can help engineers governance level to the road of transport
design safer roads and safer user level, the benefits of data- projects and
vehicles, and help policy makers driven road safety practices will
come up with data-driven road not be realized and we will find it road safety.
safety policies.” extremely difficult and expensive
Data Driven Road safety practices to arrest and reverse the trend of
in India are still in a nascent stage. rising fatalities in India.
Crash data collection is usually accused vehicle is not known such
trivialized by many agencies in India Trends in Data Analysis as in a hit-and-run case? In such
who think that they are collecting Methods such as data analytics, cases, how does one identify the
sufficient data as prescribed by machine learning and artificial accused?
Indian Roads Congress (IRC) or by intelligence are much in discussion
the Ministry of Road Transport and now. Again, it is important to Such cases are now also being
Highways (MoRTH). remember that these are tools and considered by the police under
JP Research’s assessment of not solutions. All these methods CrPC Section 174 to first ascertain
whether it is suicide, murder or a
the data formats witnessed that require good quality and in-depth road accident related fatality. But,
the data being collected is barely data and for effective utilization once such cases are confirmed as
scratching the surface of the of such tools. In addition, the fatal road accident cases, are the
problem. More in-depth data is data being collected should be cases and the resulting fatalities
required to identify, understand uniform, standardized, accurate counted and reported under road
and address road safety issues and reliable. accidents? Unfortunately, the
scientifically. Fatal road accidents are a good findings indicate that the answer is
Another problem in data example to explain the problems of NO. Hence, many cities and states
collection is the poor focus on data data collection in India. Firstly, we that are reporting reductions
collection methodologies. Crash still do not have a clear definition in fatalities need to provide
data collection, or for that matter of a fatal road accident. Secondly, what they are counting as fatal
any data collection activity, is more there is no clear laid out procedures accidents and fatalities. Therefore
about deciding what to collect and on how to deal with it. Currently all data definitions and collection
why to collect, and then coming fatal accidents and fatalities are need to be standardized, accurate
up with clear instructions on the counted when they are registered and transparent. Otherwise, the
methodologies on how to collect under the Indian Penal Code data is open to interpretation and
the crash data required and ensure Section 304(A). But this section may not reflect the actual ground
uniform interpretation. Technology requires that every fatal road realities.
such as tablets, apps, dashboards, accident should have an accused
etc. are only tools to make the and a victim. So, what happens Implementing a
data collection process efficient. if this is a single vehicle accident successful system
The importance of well-defined such as a motorcyclist skidding and Currently the Motor Vehicle
and in-depth crash data goes falling or a bus footboard passenger Act, 1988, Chapter VIII – Control
beyond just reporting number of falling off the bus? Also, what if the of Traffic, Section 135 provides

www.trafficinfratech-com-500653.hostingersite.com June-July ’19 / TrafficInfraTech 25