BENGALURU: The proposal to install alert systems for Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) vehicles could soon become a reality. Tenders have been floated and the last date for submitting bids is November 19.
The project will install a driver alert and collision avoidance system in 500 buses, especially the long-distance ones plying at night. The driver will be given warnings five seconds before any potential collision, so that he can react immediately. The system should detect any obstacle at least 200 metres before, so that the driver can be warned, the tenders read.
The project was introduced when a KSRTC bus collided with a lorry after the driver fell asleep on the wheel while travelling from Chennai to Bengaluru this year. While no passengers were injured, the driver unfortunately succumbed to injuries. Since a number of the corporation’s interstate buses operate at night, bus drivers are always at risk.
“This is not just related to accidents, it is also a preventive measure. The initiative will be pro-passenger as well as pro-employee. Drivers are also human, and they are bound to feel sleepy early in the morning. This will help alert the driver,” said a KSRTC official.
The system also sends alerts in case a vehicle is approaching from the opposite side, or when the driver overtakes another vehicle. In that case, the device also assesses the distance between the two vehicles. The device will also rate the driver based on his driving skills and capabilities, so that they can be assessed.
This initiative is similar to a BMTC project, wherein IISc had taken up the initiative to install Artificial Intelligence cameras to study a driver’s skills.