Road Safety 2.0 was launched by the World Economic Forum to solve the complex, multi-layered problems of safety using IR 4.0 technologies and with a different approach to improving Enforcement with public partnership.
Our leading theory of change has been devised based on deep psychological research of improving behavioural Enforcement with the positivity of “Reward” rather than wasting time, money & energy in the negativity of “Punishment”.
A 360 degree holistic approach with a carrot & stick policy encourages good drivers with incentives and punishes habitual bad drivers on evidence through the Advance Traffic Management System installed in the PPP model.
The other difference has been scaling up the awareness campaign about socioeconomic impact of road accidents through school children, making them brand ambassadors and educating them about road safety as future citizens.
And, of course, maximise the use of advanced technologies, AI, IoT, ADAS, Mobile Apps, GIS and Blockchain in the road safety ecosystem which can compensate for the human limitations on road.
I am happy to share that the initiative generated tremendous response and positivity in less than a year.
Road Safety 2.0 became a buzzword at the national & international level, with 25+ articles in international /national leading newspapers, 100+ social media posts, discussed in 50+ national/international seminars and led to few major policy changes including insurance premium policy.
It has been able to change the narrative of the public, policymakers and stakeholders about road safety and development of a tech-driven ecosystem with public & start ups around it.
Road Safety is no longer limited to highway engineers’ and vehicle manufacturers’ domains but is a public concern.
Our concept & pilot of tracking drivers’ behaviour through IoT/Mobile Apps and converting them into easily understandable “Safe Driving Scores”, which gives more profound insight into driving behaviour, is seen as a game changer with nearly Zero fatalities during the pilot phase.
The success of Road Safety 2.0 has raised the hope of the 50% reduction in road fatalities by 2025!
Authored by Akhilesh Srivastava
NHEV Knowledge Group Member | World Economic Forum | IT Advisor to Government of Uttarakhand
