New Delhi: India’s highway safety authorities are looking to strengthen accident prevention and emergency response measures on National Highways, with greater focus on accident-prone locations, first-response capabilities and technology-based road safety interventions.
The measures were discussed during a meeting between the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the National Road Safety Board (NRSB) at NHAI headquarters in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by NRSB Chairman Dr Nitin R. Gokarn, NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav, officials from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, state administrations and road safety experts.
During the meeting, Gokarn emphasised the need to identify the top 10 accident-prone locations across the country. He also called for toll plaza personnel to be provided first-aid training to strengthen their ability to assist road accident victims.
NHAI presented a review of road safety management on National Highways, covering accident trends, road safety audits, black spot management, speed management, highway engineering, Intelligent Transport Systems, emergency response and post-crash care. Commercial vehicle safety, driver welfare and citizen-centric services were also discussed.
Gokarn also appreciated NHAI’s adoption of Advanced Traffic Management Systems, predictive Artificial Intelligence solutions and digital mapping of ambulances to improve road safety management and incident response.
The discussions also focused on adopting a Safe System approach across six strategic areas. These include risk identification, safer highway engineering and prevention; safe highway operations, commercial vehicle safety and Intelligent Transport Systems; emergency response and incident management; digital safety management and monitoring; performance monitoring, governance and institutional accountability; and development of a strategic roadmap for National Highway road safety.
NHAI field offices were also asked to work closely with state administrations and keep them informed about road safety initiatives to improve coordination and implementation.
NHAI and NRSB will continue their engagement through periodic review meetings to identify emerging road safety challenges and strengthen interventions across the National Highway network. The meeting marked the beginning of a structured and sustained institutional partnership between the two organisations on road safety.
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