Ministry Sets Up Road Safety Centre and Strengthens Highway Measures

10 Feb 2026 CW Team

The ministry envisages deployment of Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) on National Highways with the objective of improving road safety and reducing accidents. ATMS will encompass artificial intelligence based Video Incident Detection and Enforcement Systems (VIDES), Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, Pan to Zoom (PTZ) cameras and other surveillance equipment for electronic monitoring, enforcement, early detection of incidents and real time field response.

The ministry has issued rules setting active safety features for medium and heavy duty vehicles and for quadricycles. The measures provide for braking systems including anti-lock braking and an endurance braking system for categories M2, M3, N1, N2 and N3 and for quadricycle models, with applicability for new models from first January 2027 and for existing models from first October 2027. The rules also mandate Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) such as Vehicle Stability Function (VSF), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), driver drowsiness and attention warning systems, blind spot information systems and moving off information systems for M2, M3, N2 and N3 categories, with applicability for new models from first October 2027 and for existing models from first January 2028.

The government has identified high fatality corridors on National Highways and is implementing remedial measures tailored to site requirements to reduce accidents. Road safety advocacy programmes and an annual National Road Safety Month support public awareness through campaigns, distribution of pamphlets and helmets to reduce accidents and fatalities. The ministry provided the information in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has established the Centre of Excellence for Road Safety (CoERS) at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) to introduce best practices and to strengthen collaboration between academia, industry and government. All works on National Highways are carried out in accordance with standards, guidelines, manuals and codes of practice of the Indian Roads Congress and with specifications for road and bridge works that draw on international best practice. The ministry envisages deployment of Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) on National Highways with the objective of improving road safety and reducing accidents. ATMS will encompass artificial intelligence based Video Incident Detection and Enforcement Systems (VIDES), Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, Pan to Zoom (PTZ) cameras and other surveillance equipment for electronic monitoring, enforcement, early detection of incidents and real time field response. The ministry has issued rules setting active safety features for medium and heavy duty vehicles and for quadricycles. The measures provide for braking systems including anti-lock braking and an endurance braking system for categories M2, M3, N1, N2 and N3 and for quadricycle models, with applicability for new models from first January 2027 and for existing models from first October 2027. The rules also mandate Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) such as Vehicle Stability Function (VSF), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), driver drowsiness and attention warning systems, blind spot information systems and moving off information systems for M2, M3, N2 and N3 categories, with applicability for new models from first October 2027 and for existing models from first January 2028. The government has identified high fatality corridors on National Highways and is implementing remedial measures tailored to site requirements to reduce accidents. Road safety advocacy programmes and an annual National Road Safety Month support public awareness through campaigns, distribution of pamphlets and helmets to reduce accidents and fatalities. The ministry provided the information in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

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