CHANDIGARH: A 48 per cent fall in road accident fatalities was observed in 2024 after the deployment of a special highway safety unit or Sadak Surakhya Force (SSF) by the Punjab police early last year.
It is claimed to be the first of its kind force in the country with a response time of 6 to 8 minutes.
This force is deployed on around 7,000 out of a total 56,000 kilometres stretch of roads in the state.
The force has around 144 state-of-the-art vehicles of SSF (116 Toyota Hilux and 28 Mahindra Scorpios featuring dashboard cameras, first-aid kits, wireless systems, sirens, public address systems and stretchers.)
Each vehicle is manned by 12 personnel in three shifts and covers 30 kilometres. The force has 1,568 personnel who are newly recruited and have a different uniform than the state police. They are mainly deployed on all national highways and selected state highways and have saved about 1,000 lives. 1,955 people died in those particular road stretches in 2023 and in 2024 only 1016 casualties have been reported.
A Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) system would be installed in the vehicles of SSF so if there is a road blockade due to any law and order issue or accidents the traffic could be diverted. Besides that, laser speed guns and photo capture devices will also be installed in these vehicles to curb overspeeding on highways.
Its personnel are likely to be sent for training to the US and Australia. An all-women SSF team is also deployed.
In November 2024, 98 people died as against the November 2023 figure of 255 deaths which was the highest in a month. October 2024 saw 124 deaths when compared to 223 deaths in the corresponding period in 2023.
The SSF assisted 19,555 road accident victims. It recovered and returned approximately Rs 37.50 lakh cash, and 535.23 grams of gold, including ornaments and rings to the rightful owners, according to the data available with the police.
The force also seized 6 kg of opium, leading to legal action against the accused in the respective police stations besides solving multiple cases of stolen motorcycles, cars and robberies.
Around 28 SSF vehicles have been equipped with laser speed guns and photo capture devices. MDT devices integrated with Vodafone phones are also being installed in these vehicles thus if there is a law and order problem and the road is closed, these vehicles will get an alert and they will divert the traffic accordingly.
These devices also get accident alerts which helps providing immediate first aid, and transport the injured to hospitals, said sources. The vehicles will now be equipped with body-worn cameras and breathalysers thus ensuring prompt action and further reducing road accident fatalities, sources added.
Punjab became the first state in the country to constitute a Sadak Surakhya Force and it was launched on January 27, 2024. The SSF teams respond to road accidents reported via Dial 112/100 or wireless, reaching sites within 6 to 8 minutes to provide first aid or transport seriously injured individuals to government hospitals which is the platinum hour in case of accidents to safe lives.
Talking to TNIE, Additional DGP (Traffic and SSF) AS Rai said that there has been a 48 per cent decrease in road fatalities after SSF was set up last year as envisioned by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to protect public life and property.
"The newly recruited police personnel underwent two months of specialized training at Kapurthala Training Centre, covering public interaction soft skills and first aid training from the Red Cross. Now we are planning to send them to Australia and California in the US to get training from the Highway patrol departments in those countries,’’ he said.
"We are soon going to review the working of the SSF and deepen it’s reach to ensure that travelling on roads of the state becomes a present and safe experience for commuters," Rai said.
"As of now, the response time is to 6 to 8 minutes. Once the victim is evacuated from the accident spot till the time one is transported to the hospital the doctors there should have the information about the patient and the type of injury so that the time is not wasted and further saved," he added.
"Our intention is public service and not to harass anyone that is why the SSF personnel have been trained in soft skills to create conditions for the smooth and safe flow of traffic in the state,’’ he said.
Rai added that the new additions will make the SSF more effective and also the 750 accident black spots across the state have been reduced to 400.