AI Integration in Road, Transport Can Help Avoid Accidents, Curb Pollution: Govt Official

New Delhi: There is a lot of scope for AI integration in the road and transport industry to help avoid accidents and check issues of vehicular pollution, a government official said on Monday. Measures such as a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system and adding driving-in-school curriculum can help in this direction, Pankaj Aggarwal, an officer in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said while speaking at the India AI Impact Summit in the national capital.

During a panel discussion on 'AI for Road Safety: Data-Driven Solutions for Enhancing Road Safety in India', he said AI can play a big role in avoiding accidents and reducing fatalities.

Data indicates that speeding is the first problem among traffic rule violations, he said. So, capturing proper data with the help of AI and providing the same evidence without human intervention can be of help as whatever data today is recorded by a police person is "not the actual data as there are many other offences which contribute to the accident..."

"...With that intention if some technology is there if he (driver) can correct himself before any collision (through) vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology... there is a lot of scope for AI," the official said.

In case of challans also, enforcement is an issue, Aggarwal said.

Further, AI can help maintain correct data when it comes to accidents and fatalities, he said, citing the example of Bihar where he said data shows fatalities are higher than the national average.

On pollution, Aggarwal said, "We are developing an AI tool for that also because the environment is a major concern in the urban centres."

How to control pollution is also an area where the government is actively taking steps as data can be misled here.

He also mooted an idea of having driving as part of school curriculum through AI as it can create awareness among the youth.

"IIT Madras is working on it so that it should be mandated as part of the curriculum," he stated.