Traffic Engineering & Safety Division (TE & SD)
NATPAC’s committed philosophy towards safety has prompted it to take up a separate division on “Road Safety”.The Traffic Engineering and Safety Division (TESD) of NATPAC intends to provide a safe and sustainable approach to mitigate traffic-related issues and safety risks through engineering interventions, state-of-the-art technologies, sensitising stakeholders, and raising awareness to various target groups aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mandate. Traffic Safety is one of the major thrust areas of NATPAC, where the centre focuses its activities broadly comprising of Research Studies, Development Projects, Sponsored Projects, and Outreach activities.
The activities of the Traffic Engineering and Safety Division are broadly classified under the following categories-
- Traffic Engineering and Management
- Road Safety Auditing
- Road User Studies
- Crash Database Analysis and Causative Factors
- IT/ITES Applications
- Green Energy in the Transport Sector
- Environmental Sustainability Studies
- Formulation of Protocols and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Traffic Safety Education/Awareness
- Experts Group Meetings and Seminars/Workshops, Training Programs & Exhibitions
TESD conducts research and development activities to develop innovative solutions for improving road safety. These activities include exploring safety modelling techniques, developing new road safety technologies, conducting crash data-led investigations, and analysing crash data to identify patterns and trends. The division focuses its research on advanced vulnerable road users, crash data analytics, crash prediction models, black spot studies, crash investigation studies, road user behavioural studies, risk assessment, geospatial analytics, surrogate safety assessment, etc. The applications of Intelligent Transport System in the field of road safety are being researched and products are being developed. The division maintains the Traffic Safety Cell, a dedicated scheme, through which various road safety activities are being coordinated.
The division is instrumental in conducting black spot identification and rectification studies to identify crash prone locations and suggest remedial measures to reduce crashes at the vulnerable locations. Based on the Blackspot Cluster Severity Index, crash-vulnerable road corridors on National Highways and State Highways in Kerala were also identified.
The divisionis maintaining a web portal and mobile app for imparting road safety education primarily focussing on school children. The Division is currently developing a database management system, which aims to bring out a real-time information system and deploy advanced analytical techniques for obtaining better insights into the development of the transport sector in the State.
As part of outreach activities, the TESD regularly conducts road safety awareness programmes to educate various target groups about safe driving practices, traffic rules, and the importance of complying with seat belts and helmet norms. These awareness programmes include public campaigns, training sessions, seminars, and roadshows. Different road safety modules for various target groups are conceptualised and the focussed training programmes are being carried out across the State. The various target groups include School Children, Pedestrians, Cyclists, Student Police Cadets, School Teachers, Communities, Drivers of Two wheelers, Autorickshaw, Tipper and other heavy vehicles, School buses, Ambulance and emergency vehicles, hazardous goods carriers, KSRTC buses, etc. More than 2200 school teachers and 1200 driving school instructors across the State have been trained. Safe Road to School programme, Road Safety Youth Leadership Programmes and Safe Community Programme for Panchayaths are some of the flagship programmes being coordinated by the division. In the academic year 2022-23, the Safe Road to School programme was conducted at 100 schools in the State, training about5000 school students.
The Division conducts capacity-building programmes for road safety professionals, enforcement officials, practising engineers, and other stakeholders to enhance their knowledge and skills in road safety. These training programs cover multidisciplinary topics such as road safety audit, blackspot management, road alignment design, intersection design, ITS applications, Legal frameworks, psychological aspects, road safety management, first aid & trauma care, etc. Expert group meetings and stakeholder engagement for brainstorming, and dissemination of knowledge and experiences, which aid in the field implementation of road safety measures are also organised.
The division has prepared technical documents such as Kerala Road Safety Vision & Mission (2013), Kerala Road Safety Policy (2016), and Kerala Road Safety Action Plan (2016). A protocol for Blackspot Management in the State of Kerala was prepared in 2016, which was instrumental for the stakeholding agencies to involve in the data-led analysis for the identification and rectification process, with the constant monitoring of Hon’ble Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety. In line with the Global Road Safety Performance Targets set by the World Health Organisation, NATPAC has proactively prepared a technical document on the 'Strategic Road Map for Crash Reduction towards 2030 (2020). At present, the Road Safety Action Plan for Kerala (RSAP-K) is being prepared in consultation with all stakeholders of the state.
TESD collaborates with esteemed organizations and pioneers in the field of transportation, including the Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA), Kerala Police, Motor Vehicle Department, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation (KELTRON), Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, academic institutions such as IITs, NITs, State Colleges etc. These partnerships strengthen TESD's capabilities and enable it to deliver impactful solutions and advancements in the research which would be disseminated through outreach activities.