Problem / Objective

India has one of the largest road networks in the world, and is emerging as the fastest growing network. With more vehicles on the road, safety is now more crucial than ever before, and is a major developmental issue and public health concern. To help address this, the Government of India is aiming for a 50% reduction in road fatalities on Indian roads by 2030 that paves the path towards VISION ZERO. As India boosts its road safety quotient, the predictive power of AI will play a transformational role in enabling smarter and safer roads and drivers.

Solution / Approach

Project iRASTE (intelligent Solutions for Road Safety through Technology and Engineering) applies a Safe Systems approach to road safety. Here is how the solution is being deployed in the Nagpur city of Maharashtra to aspects of Vehicle Safety, Mobility Analysis & Infrastructure Safety.

Vehicle Safety is enhanced with life-saving driver alerts given 2 seconds prior. This improves the safety of public & private fleet. Nagpur city buses with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), alongside driver trainings, can reduce incidents by up to 60%.

Mobility Analysis prevents Blackspots before they claim lives. The target is to continuously monitor dynamic risks on the entire Nagpur road network for preventive maintenance.

Infrastructure Safety is enhanced with AI-powered continuous monitoring for improved RoI. Design engineering fixes are deployed for existing road blackspots in Nagpur.

Impact / Implementation

Project iRASTE is a unique partnership of industry, academia and government and is driven by Nagpur Municipal Corporation, CSIR-CRRI, Mahindra&Mahindra, INAI, IIIT-Hyderabad and Intel. It was launched in September 2021 by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. This project is expected to generate impactful outcomes in the following areas:

Target up to 50% decline in annual Nagpur road crashes, due to multi-pronged crash prevention measures (i.e. Black spot remedial action plans, Road Safety awareness programs, Technology interventions, and Data Insights)

Enable Nagpur city as a leader in implementing Road Safety and Mobility planning measures leveraging AI & ADAS devices.

Publish first-of-its-kind dynamic Road Safety Index and Road Quality Index developed for any Smart City in the country, thus driving a data-driven Mobility & Infrastructure management framework.

Formulate blueprint regarding use of Artificial Intelligence as a force multiplier to achieve India’s Road Safety &Mobility goals.

Publish case study and/or technical papers in global forums & publications.

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Source: INAI