IIT Madras Leads Data-Driven Road Safety Drive in 100 Districts

• IIT Madras' CoERS, backed by MoRTH, launched the DDHI initiative in 100 high-risk districts across 17 states to cut road accidents.
• Using a 5E approach - Engineering, Enforcement, Education, Emergency care, and Empathy - the project applies localized, data-driven solutions.
• Districts will use tools like the Sanjaya Dashboard, Field Perception Survey, and TPL app for crash analysis and emergency care review.

The Centre of Excellence for Road Safety (CoERS) at IIT Madras has launched a data-centric hyperlocal initiative to address road accidents in 100 high risk districts across 17 states.

Backed by the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), the initiative seeks to provide district-specific, data-driven solutions through a structured 5E framework - engineering, enforcement, education, emergency care, and empathy. 

The initiative commenced during an alignment session in New Delhi on May 20, attended by officials from central and state governments, district representatives, and experts in road safety.

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As per official statistics, India has reported over 4.6 lakh road accidents each year. Although human error is a major factor, localized problems like ineffective road design, insufficient enforcement, and slow emergency responses also play important roles.

The DDHI (Data-Driven Hyperlocal Intervention) initiative seeks to tackle these specific issues. In contrast to national programs that follow a top-down model, DDHI employs a bottom-up method, enabling District Road Safety Councils (DRSCs) to formulate and execute their strategies using data from the e-Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) and supported by the Sanjaya location intelligence platform.

Districts will utilize resources created by CoERS, including the Sanjaya Dashboard for crash visualization, the Field Perception Survey (FPS) for identifying hotspots, and the Trauma Care Preparedness Level (TPL) app to evaluate emergency care facilities.

Speaking at the event, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said, “Real change happens when data empowers district authorities to act on accident spots.”

MoRTH secretary V Umashankar said, “Each accident has a story best understood at the local level. With actionable data, we can reduce preventable fatalities.”

CoERS head Prof Venkatesh Balasubramanian said, “Through this initiative, we aim to empower district leadership with practical tools and capacity-building support that integrate human factors and data-driven interventions to deliver measurable improvements in road safety outcomes."

Regular audits and evaluations will monitor effectiveness. Insights gained from the programme will be recorded for replication in other districts, establishing a national archive of effective strategies.