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November 30, 2020 5:24 pm

Mumbai Pune Expressway Gets India’s First AI Enabled Cameras – Captures Photo When Hands Not On Steering Wheel

Mumbai Pune Expressway

This initiative is being conducted on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway using AI driven technology to identify mobile phone usage by drivers

SaveLIFE Foundation, under the Zero Fatality Corridor initiative is conducting a safety drive across the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The use of AI driving technology will be employed to identify drivers using mobile phone while driving.

Over-speeding is not the only offence, driving without your hands on the wheel or using mobile phone while driving is also an offence. These smart cameras are so intelligent, that they will understand when the driver does not have his or her hands on the steering wheel.

Use of AI Technology

Two images were also revealed by SaveLIFE Foundation, one of which is from a Police/VIP vehicle being driven at 91 km/h wherein it is clearly evident that both hands are off the steering wheel. These images were captured by the system installed in partnership with Maharashtra Police, MSRDC and Ador India.

Mumbai-Pune Expressway has become first in India to have such an intelligent camera system – a three lane three-lane vehicle activated speed-sign system (VASS). This works as a tool that detects speed of oncoming vehicles and flashes it back to the driver so that appropriate action can be initiated.

Driver of VIP vehicle with red beacon, caught using phone, with no hands on steering wheel

SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF) is a non profit, non government organization committed to improve road safety in the country and enhance emergency medical facilities. SLF was founded on 29 February 2008 by Piyush Tewari, following the death of his cousin. Use of AI technology can help to identify mobile phone usage by drivers and the Mumbai Pune Expressway is the first target area while this initiative will be spread across other roads in UP and Delhi as well.

Distracted driving is a major cause of accidents on highways. The main reason is use of mobile phones by the driver. While use of mobile phones has become a necessity in our everyday lives, use while driving is a dangerous distraction. Distracted driving was a major cause of deaths on the highways wherein nearly 5000 persons lost their lives in 2019 due to mobile phone usage.

Another photo showing car driver on Mumbai Pune expressway, using phone while driving

Zero Fatality Corridor

SaveLIFE Foundation has also undertaken the Zero Fatality Corridor initiative across the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. This works as a tool that detects speed of oncoming vehicles and flashes it back to the driver so that appropriate action can be initiated.

The video below by SaveLIFE, shows how the system works. “The VASS detects speeds of oncoming vehicles and flashes it back to the driver so that behaviour correction can take place. This is a potent tool in our arsenal for controlling speeding and will be replicated on other roads where the ZFC project is operational.”

Road Accident Deaths In India

A recent survey conducted revealed that there we as many as 4,37,396 cases of road accidents in 2019, which killed 1.54 lakh people in India. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, majority (59.6) percent of these were due to over speeding leaving 86,241 persons dead and 2,71,581 person seriously injured.

Statistics further revealed that 38 percent of road accidents involved two wheelers while trucks, cars and buses accounted for 14.6 percent, 13.7 percent and 5.9 percent respectively. In a large majority of these accidents, reasons ranged from dangerous or careless driving, overtaking and use of mobile phone while only 2.6 percent of road accidents were due to poor weather conditions.

It may be recalled that in November 2015, India had committed to reduce road accident deaths by 50 percent by 2020 when it became a signatory to the Brasilia Declaration. This target has now been postponed by a decade to 2030.