Twin Approaches to Safety

This is something we did in Tamil Nadu. We took FIR data, did NLP models on it, and came up with the main recurring causes for accidents. We were immediately able to come up with recommendations which the police then implemented to improve road safety. This is something they can do today, with tools and data that are already available. Data is going to be the fuel. Data is going to be very essential.

Dr. Gitakrishnan Ramadurai

Department of Civil Engineering, and Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI

More bang for the buck:

Resources available for improving road safety are limited with states allocating a few hundred crores for the same. It becomes important to prioritise the distribution of this resource. While road markings, road signs and cameras can improve safety, a study of cost-benefit analysis to arrive at the best interventions that give maximum benefit is required. Data science can play an important role in recommending prioritisation of investments based on FIR data.

When I asked how many people have been sent to jail for drunken driving, they said not a single person since 1947. So, I took it up with the judiciary. Though it looks humorous, even the traffic magistrate did not know the provision in the Motor Vehicle Act, Section 185, which said they could send people to jail for drunken driving with a fine. That year 1600 people were sent to jail. Delhi witnessed virtually no drunken driving cases in those years because people feared the jail term more than the fine.

Satyendra Garg

Retd. Former DGP, A&N Islands: Joint Secretary North East –
Ministry of Home Affairs

Counter-intuitive results:

A study in a metro showed building road medians actually reduced severe and fatal accidents. This seemed to suggest that it was a good idea to build concrete road medians. The fall-out was, while the pedestrian accidents reduced, the severity of two-wheeler accidents increased. Had AI tools been used to analyse data from a broader perspective, one could have made more informed decisions on road safety.

Traffic violators are sent to jail. The measure is punitive but we have to take it. In 2022, from January to August we had 996 accidents. Whereas January to August 2023 we had 720. A reduction of 23% and 276 accidents. Vizag was classified as the best performer in the state.

Rajeev Kumar, Asst Commissioner of Police, Vishakhapatnam