National road safety month: Punjab Police unveils road crash investigation vehicle to examine cause of accident

Chandigarh: In a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at making Punjab roads safer as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Police during the ongoing 34th National Road Safety Month have introduced its first Road Crash Investigation Unit Vehicle— having the ability to investigate and identify the root cause of the accident scientifically, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Tuesday.

The vehicle is equipped with Artificial Intelligence and state-of-the-art features including a Crash Investigation Kit, Moving Location-based Video Capture, a Speed Camera with Geographical Location Linkage, Drones for Area-based Videography, Digital Distometers, and E-DAR data collection.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said that this in-house developed vehicle, which positions Punjab Police as the pioneer in the nation for design and development capabilities, is poised to play a pivotal role in elevating the efficiency and effectiveness of road safety initiatives in the region. “The scientific investigation will lead us to find out the root cause of the problem, be it related to road infrastructure, vehicles, or due to human error. This will be a leap forward from the traditional approach to examining road crashes, aligning more with the scientific provisions of the law,” he added.

ADGP Traffic AS Rai, who along with AIG Traffic Gagan Ajit Singh and Traffic Advisor cum Director of Punjab Road Safety and Traffic Research Centre (PRSTRC) Dr Navdeep Asija was unveiling the vehicle at Punjab Police Headquarters here, congratulated the entire team for the successful launch of the Road Crash Investigation Unit Vehicle.

He said that the advanced technologies integrated into this vehicle will undoubtedly enhance our accident investigation capabilities and contribute to a safer road environment, he said, while adding that initially, this vehicle will be deployed in the Ropar Police range, and upon finalisation, more such vehicles shall be deployed at district levels throughout the state.

“The cost of in-house development not only gave a robust technological push but also reduced the cost by 1/20th compared to what is available in the market for crash investigation vehicles,” said AIG Gagan Ajit Singh.

Traffic Advisor Dr Navdeep Asija said that this technological leap aligns with our commitment to data-driven decision-making followed by the development of in-house research and development capabilities to meet our own needs and underscores our dedication to enhancing road safety in the state.

Meanwhile, the vehicle is equipped with speed cameras and alcometer to detect traffic violators and can also be utilised for normal traffic enforcement duties as well.