NT Reporter
Panaji
The Supreme Court committee on road safety on Thursday said Goa has the potential to become the first state in the country to achieve zero road fatalities, while calling for greater use of artificial intelligence, improved accident data analysis and stronger co-ordination among departments to reduce road crashes.
The recommendations were made during a high-level review meeting chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre.
“Intelligent traffic monitoring and enforcement technologies could significantly reduce accidents and road deaths and should become an integral part of Goa’s road safety strategy,” said Justice Sapre.
He recommended adopting AI-enabled traffic management systems on the lines of those used in developed countries.
“Goa has the potential to become the first state of India with zero fatalities due to road accidents,” he said.
Panel member Sanjay Bandopadhyaya said road safety policies should be driven by data.
He directed officials to effectively use the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ i-RAD and e-DAR platforms for comprehensive accident tracking, saying the data would help authorities devise the “best methodology, strategy and possible interventions” to prevent crashes.
Describing road safety as “a divine and collective responsibility,” Bandopadhyaya said departments including police, health, highways, traffic and transport must work together with public participation to achieve meaningful results.
Sapre also appreciated the Health Department for the ambulance response time currently being achieved in Goa and directed officials to improve it further so that accident victims receive prompt medical attention during the critical “golden hour”.
Chief Secretary Dr V Candavelou directed all stakeholders to work together towards reducing accidents and achieving the goal of making Goa the country’s first state with zero road fatalities.
