- By Divanshi Sharma
- Tue, 19 Dec 2023 07:50 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Road safety experts on Tuesday stressed on the need for urgent implementation of an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) in India, one of the developing countries with a high risk of road accidents and fatalities due to ever-increasing traffic congestion. Speaking at an event organised by International Road Federation -India Chapter (IRF-IC), Bureau of Indian Standards Transportation Engineering Department Chairman Balraj Bhanot said ITS is a method of improving road safety by providing drivers with real-time information about road conditions. "We must anticipate and be ready for the problems and challenges that are ahead. This is where ITS can play a vital part," he added.
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Also, speaking at the event, IRF president emeritus K K Kapila said the best way to improve road safety in the country is to use intelligent transport system technology. ITS can be crucial, especially in the winter period as initial hazard warnings can be displayed on public information websites and interactive maps and mobile applications, he added.
Meanwhile, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari earlier this month invoked similar sentiments and said that faulty road engineering is usually the reason behind most accidents in India. He said, “India accounts for 5 lakh accidents and 1.5 lakh deaths annually, and 3 lakh people are injured. This caused a 3 per cent loss to the country's GDP. Like a sacrificial lamb, a driver is blamed for every accident. Let me tell you, and I observe minutely - often, the road engineering is at fault.”
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Further, reminiscing about his accident, Gadkari flagged faulty engineering and said, “I also suffered from an accident and was left with four broken bones. Many are dying. People in the age group of 18 to 34 years account for 60 per cent of accident deaths, and many of them are engineers and doctors. Is it good for the country? Can you, as engineers, work together to remove the black spots? I request you to work to avoid road accidents caused by faulty engineering,"
(With Agencies Inputs)