Road Safety Takes A Leap, Government To Launch Highway Radio Services

Over 50,000 people died due to accidents on national highways. With such an alarming figure, India needs to improve the travelling experience on national highways

Written By: Gopi Karelia | Edited By: Priyanka Bhattacharya | December 11, 2017 12:55 PM | News

Highlights
  • Nearly one lakh, forty nine thousand people were killed in road mishaps
  • 13 more states will reap the benefits of radio services
  • Government has allocated Rs. 11,000 crores to fix accident prone areas

New Delhi: India’s Highways see a huge number of road accidents every year. Nearly one lakh, forty six thousand people were killed in road mishaps in 2015 as per the data given by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Now, in a bid to prevent road mishaps, the Government is all set to launch specialized radio services for motorists. This includes updates on traffic snarls and accidents.

In 2015, the government launched the Highway Advisory System (HAS) in pilot phases to ease travelling on national highways.

Also Read: India Can Avoid The Tag Of Being The Accident Capital Of The World: Supreme Court

In the first phase, radio services were successfully placed on the 256 km Delhi-Jaipur stretch under the World Bank Technical Assistance program.

All India Radio stations provided daily information to commuters on the Delhi-Jaipur highway.

The information was provided on traffic congestion, accidents, toll plaza waiting times, weather conditions, road diversions and road safety education, said Nitin Gadkari, the Road Transport and Highways Minister.

Now, the 2nd phase of the project has been approved and 13 more states will reap the benefits of radio services, Mr Gadkari told the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

By the 3rd phase, the government plans on switching to the digital broadcasting mode. Once the digital system is in place, there will be computer monitoring and third party audits.

Road safety is a huge priority and the government has allocated Rs. 11,000 crores to fix accident prone areas or black spots on national highways.

Also Read: The Road To Hell: India’s Most Dangerous National Highways

With inputs from PTI