Haryana launches special road safety project with IIT Madras

Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], October 4 : Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal on Wednesday announced that the Centre of Excellence for Road Safety (COERS), a central government organisation in collaboration with IIT Madras, is launching a special project in the state to bring together the best practices in road safety.
"While presiding over the initiation meeting for the implementation of road safety interventions here today, the Chief Secretary said that Haryana has been selected for this project among the seven states of Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu for the evaluation of the effectiveness of road safety interventions," according to a press release by the Haryana CMO.
The comprehensive set of interventions to be implemented in these states encompasses a variety of road safety measures, including effective speed calming measures, comprehensive road safety surveys, behavioural monitoring, shoulder width evaluation, structured crash investigations, innovative enforcement, awareness programmes, and trauma centre enhancement.
Kaushal said that "Haryana is embarking on a series of transformative projects aimed at saving lives on its roads and bolstering healthcare services. Key stakeholders, including road agencies and relevant departments, have engaged in comprehensive appraisals."
The Chief Secretary highlighted the state government's integration of ambulances with the 112 immediate response helpline to provide timely medical assistance to road accident victims. A fleet of 670 ambulances has been integrated with the 112 helpline to facilitate the swift transport of trauma patients to medical facilities. Automatic registration procedures in certain hospitals further expedite the process, ensuring that no time is wasted in critical situations.
Kaushal said that "the state is actively working to enhance healthcare accessibility, particularly for trauma patients. The state has established Ayushman Bharat hospitals, medical colleges, and tertiary-level medical care centres in districts in accordance with Government of India guidelines. The objective is to ensure that trauma patients do not need to travel more than 50 kilometres to receive essential medical treatment."
"Haryana has equipped district hospitals with primary and secondary care facilities, providing comprehensive healthcare services to its residents. These initiatives are aligned with the Ayushman Bharat programme, which further enhances the reach of essential health services, Kaushal said.
Recognising the importance of education and awareness, the state has introduced road safety subjects in school curricula. These subjects aim to educate students, particularly those in 11th and 12th grades who often start travelling independently on roads, about responsible road behaviour, read the release.
To further spread awareness and enhance road safety, plans are underway to train a dedicated workforce of young volunteers from the National Service Scheme (NSS) and the National Cadet Corps (NCC).
Kaushal emphasised the identification and rectification of black spots and emerging black spots, contributing to overall safety improvements.
The Chief Secretary said that "the gathering today is of deep and pressing significance as stakeholders unite with a shared purpose and an acute sense of urgency to tackle a matter of paramount importance. This issue transcends mere statistics on paper; it directly impacts the lives and overall welfare of citizens. The collective endeavour is to launch a resolute campaign aimed at implementing vital road safety measures across Haryana. This initiative has the potential to not only safeguard numerous lives but also mitigate the immeasurable suffering that unfolds on the roads."
Prof Venkatesh Balasubramanian, Head, CoERS, IIT Madras, said that "the opportunity lies in the collective commitment to work ceaselessly to reduce road crash fatalities by 50% by 2030 and to ultimately achieve zero fatalities by 2040. This can be achieved through the implementation of data-driven policies that span the entire spectrum of the transportation system, encompassing engineering, enforcement, emergency care, and education. He estimated that in the year 2022 in Haryana, a staggering 11,115 road accidents were reported, resulting in a tragic total of 5,021 road fatalities. About 75.49 per cent of these fatal accidents stemmed from traffic violations. While 52.46 per cent of fatal accidents occurred on highways,
Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), School Education, Sudhir Rajpal, ACS, Health Department, Dr G Anupama, Commissioner and Secretary, ULB, Vikas Gupta, and other senior officers of Police, PWD, B&R, HSVP, HSIIDC, National Highway Authority, and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways were present in the meeting.