The effort is expected to reduce deaths due to accidents by half
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has signed an agreement with Rajasthan government to implement a framework to improve road safety in that State.

Rajasthan government’s transport commissioner Ravi Jain and IIT Madras’ dean for industrial consultancy and sponsored research Ravindra Gettu signed the agreement recently. Mr. Jain said Rajasthan was one of the pilot States to implement the Integrated Road Accident Database.

According to Rajasthan Transport Minister Pratap Singh Kachariyawas the Institute’s Rehabilitation Bioengineering Group (RBG) laboratory in the Department of Engineering Design would help implement the Tamil Nadu model of road safety in his State.

The aim is to reduce road fatalities by half by 2030 in road traffic accidents. The institute would develop a registry and help build data-driven trauma care.

Mr. Gettu said the institute would build the capability of various stakeholders in the Rajasthan government. The collaboration would involve various State departments including Public Works, National Highways Authority of India, police, health and medical services.

Venkatetsh Balasubramanian, faculty in-charge of RBG labs, who is coordinating the initiative said Rajasthan would develop capacity and capability. It would be essential in implementing and using the information from the IRDA of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, he said.

MoRTH Secretary Giridhar Aramane said the Ministry had been backing RBG labs to take its structured data-driven system approach across the country. He expressed hope to see the initiative have a major impact in Rajasthan.