IIT Madras launches data-driven road safety push in 100 high-risk districts

CHENNAI: The Centre of Excellence for Road Safety (CoERS) at IIT Madras has launched a data-driven hyperlocal intervention programme to tackle road crashes in 100 accident-prone districts in 17 states.

Supported by the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), the initiative aims at delivering district-specific, evidence-based solutions under a structured 5E framework—engineering, enforcement, education, emergency care and empathy.

The programme was launched at an alignment session held in New Delhi on May 20 with participation from central and state govt officials, district representatives and road safety experts.

According to official data, India recorded more than 4.6 lakh road accidents annually. While human error remains a primary cause, localised issues such as poor road design, inadequate enforcement and delayed emergency response also contribute significantly. The DDHI (Data-Driven Hyperlocal Intervention) programme aims at addressing these granular challenges.

Unlike top-down national programmes, DDHI adopts a bottom-up approach, empowering District Road Safety Councils (DRSCs) to develop and implement their own strategies based on data from the e-Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) and powered by the Sanjaya location intelligence platform.

Districts will use tools developed by CoERS such as the Sanjaya Dashboard for crash visualisation, Field Perception Survey (FPS) for hotspot mapping and Trauma Care Preparedness Level (TPL) app to assess emergency care infrastructure.

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.".

Periodic audits and measurable assessments will track effectiveness. Learnings from the programme will be documented for replication in other districts, creating a national repository of best practices.