Road Accident Prevention and Data Collection
Introduction to e-DAR/iRAD System
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is set to release black spot data for 2023 and 2024 using the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) and Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) systems. These systems facilitate real-time data entry by state police to identify high-risk areas on National Highways (NHs).
Definition of Black Spots
- Critical Stretches: A stretch is classified as a black spot if within a 3-year period, it experiences:
- Five or more accidents resulting in fatalities or grievous injuries.
- Ten deaths.
Data Collection and Validation
The Transport Research Wing (TRW) of MoRTH collects and validates black spot data from states. The latest series calculated for 2020-2022 identified 1,330 critical stretches.
Statistics and Discrepancies
- From 2016 to 2022, 13,795 black spots were identified on NHs.
- Data discrepancies between TRW and e-DAR have been reduced to less than 5%.
Real-time Data Capture
e-DAR captures accidents in real time and geo-tags them using mobile devices of first responders, like the police.
Impact and Future Steps
The advancement of such data systems is crucial for planning road accident and death prevention strategies effectively.
