BHUBANESWAR: After a pilot phase test on Mo Bus service, the Odisha government has decided to integrate the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) in all private buses in order to prevent road accidents, and curb fatalities.
The AI-powered ADAS features several advanced systems and is designed to help prevent accidents by alerting drivers to hazards and providing steering assistance.
Equipped with electronic stability control, forward collision and lane departure warning, and autonomous emergency braking, it can reduce the number of accidents and the severity of collisions.
Sources said, Odisha reports an average 16 road deaths every day. The rate of severity (number of people killed per 100 accidents) in the state stood at 47 per cent against the national average of 37 per cent and most of the road accidents are occurring due to the fault of drivers.
Although there was a drop in accident cases in the state in January, which was observed as road safety month, sources said, the number of road mishaps is rising after the restrictions and enforcement were relaxed.
In Odisha, maximum buses are operated by private operators. While Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) and Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) have already initiated the process for fitment of ADAS devices in their buses, the Transport department has initiated steps to equip private buses with the advanced system.
In the first phase, ADAS has been fitted in some AC, non-AC, EV and double-decker buses run by CRUT to gauge the performance of the system on the city roads.
A Transport department official said a clear guideline will be prepared for fitment of ADAS devices in the private buses. Using sensors and cameras to monitor a vehicle’s surroundings, the system can provide real-time warnings to the driver about potential hazards like imminent collisions, or blind spots, and in some cases, even taking active measures like automatic braking to prevent accidents, he said.
“Since several vendors have approached for providing the devices, selection of appropriate vendors, amount of subsidy to be paid to operators and certification of installation will be decided. There is a plan to develop a web portal for online disbursement of subsidy to the operators,” he said.
Meanwhile, to expedite the process, principal secretary of Commerce and Transport department Usha Padhee has asked transport commissioner Amitabh Thakur to take steps for early implementation of ADAS in private buses. He has been asked to prepare the guidelines by March 3 for smooth execution of the system.
The state has reported more than 45,000 road accident deaths in last one decade. As many as 5,081 people were killed in road mishaps in 2021, followed by 5,467 in 2022 and 5,739 in 2023, which was the highest in a year.