As casualties mount, how Bihar govt is trying to overhaul traffic regulation

Alarmed by the numbers, the state transport department has decided to introduce a series of measures, which include increasing the compensation for road fatality to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 4 lakh and for injuries to Rs 1.5 lakh from Rs 50,000. Meanwhile, the state will continue to reward Good Samaritans who bring the wounded to the hospital with a cash award of Rs 10,000 and save them from any legal hassle or unnecessary police questions.

Bihar has been observing road safety week from January 11 to January 17.

“Close on heels of the road safety awareness campaign, we announced a host of big initiatives, which will be implemented from April 1,” Bihar Transport Department Secretary Sanjay Kumar Agrawal told The Indian Express. “With the increasing number of vehicles and alarming number of road accidents, we have decided to use third eye technology — CCTV and ANPR cameras — to monitor and regulate traffic like that of the major cities of India. We will use AI to issue e-challans for traffic violations — mainly for not using helmets, which cause most fatalities. So far, we have identified 72 main crossings in 26 districts for close monitoring”.

According to the official, the state has so far rewarded 1,200 Good Samaritans and disbursed compensation in 76 percent of the total hit and run cases.

Khurshid Ahmad, head of the voluntary group Advantage Support, which was instrumental in the campaign, said the awareness drive involved street plays, puppet shows and dialogues involving traffic police, doctors and government officials. “We have also spread word on government’s initiatives on how almost all toll plazas in the state have an e-detection method to check insurance, pollution and fitness status of a vehicle and introduction of automated track for driving test now,” he said.