BENGALURU: The Department of Transport will soon introduce a system where real-time data of road accidents will be collected.
According to officials, Karnataka will adopt the system which is in practice in Himachal Pradesh and is in talks with a private company which is handling the project in Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Transport Department Additional Commissioner C P Narayana Swamy told Express, “As it is still in the discussion stage, we cannot share more information. But we are working out a module where real-time data will be collected from the accident spot and updated online, which will be helpful for further process.”
Officials said police, traffic police and other authorities will get a tool through which they can upload information from the accident spot.
“Presently, in case of a road accident, the authorities concerned take a photograph and do a spot mahazar. But in the new system, the tool itself will ask for information such as if the spot was a black spot, the reason for accident, condition of the road, etc. Such information will help rectify any loopholes in the system ,” said the official.
“The current system is manual, where the authorities need to submit information manually but the new system will be managed through a software. This is mainly to increase road safety measures and the data collected during accidents will help us,” the official said.
The Transport Department’s estimated cost of the project is Rs 8-10 crore.
How will it work?
The real-time accident data collection will involve a team of police authorities, hospital authorities and even an experienced driver. The team will visit the spot within 30 minutes of the accident and digitally record the accident spot, record witness statements, take measurements of various aspects of the crash site, topography and road architecture, status of infrastructure, collect injury reports of the victim from the hospital, etc.
The idea is to set up a central office within 70 km of identified black spots based on previous incidents and police records. A fully equipped team will be available 24/7 near such spots.