AMCHAM organized a program on ‘Technology Interventions in Road Safety: U.S. India Partnership’ on March 25th in New Delhi. Ms. Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM delivered the welcome address and spoke about the role that technology plays in enhancing road safety, including smart roads – AI powered traffic management, compliant and dynamic signage, road surveillance, data-driven decision making, use of AI in traffic management, road design, predictive maintenance and asset management. She said that U.S. tech companies in India were committed to enhancing India's emergency response
infrastructure and could channel CSR resources to develop robust backend integration systems for existing national helplines. Ms. Khanna urged the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to consider making CPR training compulsory for the issuance of commercial licenses by collaborating with Red Cross and AIIMS Trauma Centre for CPR training, along with all the State Governments. Mr. Salil Gupte, Chairman, AMCHAM and President, Boeing India & South Asia spoke about how India is forging ahead in highway development, the role of connected technologies to lend efficiencies for road safety, how AI and connected technologies are transforming other modes of transport like aviation and how India has the potential to leverage technology to enhance road safety, not only in India, but also be a global player in this sector. Additionally, U.S. and Indian technology companies could create a consortium to be connected in the cloud for a first responder system for immediate
assistance on roads and highways.

Mr. Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, in his inaugural address, highlighted the various initiatives of the Ministry for road engineering improvements, automobile
engineering advancements, alternative fuel and transport systems, enforcement and education and motivation for good Samaritan behaviour. He said that with a robust emergency response system in place, India had the potential to save 50,000 lives annually. Delineating the various initiatives of the Ministry on road safety, he spoke about development of 48 green expressways with controlled access, how road safety audits were aiding as critical interventions in reducing road accidents and identification of ‘black spots.’ Regarding automobile engineering advancements, he mentioned the implementation of Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Program), mandating six airbags including in economy models, introduction of electronic stability control and advanced driver assistance systems to assesses vehicles for their ability to detect and respond to driver drowsiness and
distraction. He also spoke about diversification toward cleaner fuels: ethanol, methanol, biodiesel, bio-LNG, electric and green hydrogen, innovative flash-charging technology for public transport, new plans for mass rapid transport systems, including ropeways and cable cars and how the electric vehicles are gaining significant traction in the market. Highlighting the 4Es of road safety, engineering, emergency, enforcement and education, he said that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways was focusing upon school education regarding road safety, providing financial incentives for good Samaritan behavior with a Rs. 25,000 reward and healthcare support to accident victims up to Rs. 1.5 lakhs.

Mr. Saket Mehra, National Leader, Automotive Practice, Grant Thornton Bharat gave a brief presentation on the report prepared by AMCHAM and Grant Thornton on ‘Driving Change –Advancing Road Safety Through Technology and Partnerships’ which highlights key global and Indian infrastructure challenges for road safety and suggests actionable recommendations for enhancing road safety with technological interventions. The report was released by the Hon’ble Minister. In his concluding remarks, Mr. Praveen Gosain, Chairman – Supply Chain & Logistics Committee, AMCHAM and Sr. Director – Business Transformation, Corning International spoke about how AMCHAM’s Supply Chain & Logistics Committee could promote a culture of safety and preparedness within the transportation industry by encouraging its members to take the initiative that trucking contracts be awarded to parties which mandate first aid training for all their drivers and subcontractor company drivers which will go a long way in saving lives.

The next session ‘Enhancing Road Safety with Advanced Technology Interventions’ highlighted technology interventions for road safety including, smart roads – AI powered traffic management, compliant signage, dynamic signage, road surveillance, data-driven decision making, use of AI for speed, lane, traffic light and other compliance, road design and engineering including material improvements and interventions, predictive maintenance and asset management. Mr. Mahmood Ahmed, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India gave a special address which highlighted the policy interventions being undertaken by the Ministry to address the 4Es of road safety, and the implementation strategies including, digitization and technology initiatives of MoRTH, data on vehicles, drivers and accident cases to holistically address road safety and enactment and implementation of enforcement regulations to meet global standards. Mr. Ahmed joined the panel discussion with expert speakers Mr. Swatantra Kumar, General Manager, Regulatory Affairs, 3M India Ltd., Dr. Satarupa Bhattacharjee Kapoor,  Regional Head of Business Development, Autodesk Inc, India, Mr. Himanshu Pathak, Portfolio Leader – Construction Chemicals, Honeywell Advanced Materials, Mr. Sandeep Kumar, Senior Cloud Solution Architect, Microsoft, Mr. Rajan Aiyer,  Vice President & Managing Director, Trimble India and SAARC and Mr. Vaibhav Dange, Public Policy Expert and Founder, Build India who moderated the session.

The last session ‘Enabling Rapid Emergency Care’ highlighted the need for a multi-faceted approach combining technology, training, insurance reforms, and behavioral changes to create an effective emergency response system in India. Collaboration between government, private sector, and communities was emphasized as essential for meaningful progress in saving lives of road accident victims. Dr. Kamran Farooque, Chief, Jai Prakash

Narayan Apex Trauma Centre (JPNATC), AIIMS delivered a special address and joined the panel discussion with Mr. Praveen K. Gosain, Chairman – Supply Chain & Logistics Committee, AMCHAM and Sr. Director – Business Transformation, Corning International, Dr. Abhilash Jindal, Marketing Head, South Asia, GE Healthcare, Mr. Gurinder Singh, Deputy General Manager – Designate, New India Assurance Co. Ltd., Mr. R. Srinivasan, Deputy General Manager of Motor Insurance Technical Dept., New India Assurance Co. Ltd. and Mr. Ankur Bharti, Executive Director, Health Practice, Grant Thornton Bharat, who moderated the session. The event was supported by Grant Thornton Bharat and Trimble.