Chennai, Dec 26 (Representative) The IIT-Madras’ RBG Labs has signed a MoU with Odisha Government to adopt a data-driven and empathy-based approach to enhance road safety in the State. This collaboration is part of a mission to reduce road fatalities through strategic, evidence-driven interventions, a release from IIT-Madras said today. This initiative is curated based on RBG Labs’ ‘5E model and Transportation Safety Framework’ (TSF). This encompasses Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Emergency Care with a central focus on human factors (Empathy) to drive impactful road safety measures across the State. An MoU towards his collaboration was signed on December 23 at Bhubaneshwar between IIT Madras RBG Labs and the Commerce and Transport Department under the leadership of the Commerce and Transport and Steel and Mines Minister Bhibhuti Bhusan Jena. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Jena said this partnership with IIT Madras is a key step towards our vision of Viksit Odisha where safety and innovation co-exist for benefit of every citizen. These initiatives will focus on leveraging real-time data and modern technology along with engaging communication tools to create long-term solutions to effectively address issues relating to Road Safety.
As part of the Strategic IEC (Information, Education, and Communication) campaign, the RBG Labs will be working on capacity building for Investigating Officers (IOs) of the Odisha Police in Scientific Crash Investigation using the ‘Root Cause Analysis Matrix’ (RCAM) method that was developed at RBG Labs. The programme seeks to impart design thinking skills to the investigation officer (IO) to adopt a human factors or empathy-based approach in identifying the root causes of an accident. RBG Labs has conducted a holistic human factors-based road safety audit in collaboration with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) where over 1,000 km of National Highway stretch was audited. A series of Master Trainer Workshops is planned where the future road users (students) and teachers from schools across the State will be trained on being a responsible driver through activity-based learning (ABL) such as games, skits, puzzles and more. The individuals trained through this programme will function as master trainers to train others in their respective schools. The key objectives of this programme include Capacity Building programs across all road safety stakeholders towards using various tools for performing targeted data-driven interventions.
Design thinking approach for problem solving and understanding various human factor issues leading to road crashes and implementation of targeted interventions and to design a comprehensive IEC program to create a culture of road safety and sensitizing road users at all age groups. Speaking about this initiative, Prof. V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Disaster Management is something very high in the agenda for our Country. Road safety is an urgent and critical challenge that directly impacts the well-being of our citizens and the socio-economic development of the country.” “At IIT Madras, we have been relentlessly working on innovative, technology-driven solutions to address the complexities of road safety. From identifying accident hotspots and developing advanced crash investigation tools to designing efficient emergency response systems, our efforts have consistently aimed at saving lives and preventing injuries”, he said. “Successful implementation of these schemes have happened in many states, including the States of Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Rajasthan”, Prof Kamakoti said. IIT Madras is committed to this vision and looks forward to working with Government of Odisha to turn this aspiration vision into reality, he said.