A view of Bengaluru Mysuru Highway near Ramanagara. File Photo.
| Photo Credit: K BHAGYA PRAKASH
The Bengaluru-Mysuru access controlled highway recorded a significant drop in road fatalities, from 188 in 2023 to 50 in 2024, after the installation of the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) in July 2024, according to the data by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The ATMS improved traffic safety through real-time monitoring and quicker incident response, with zero fatalities reported from September to December 2024, according to data presented in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways recently.
“The highway, a critical 117-km six-lane access-controlled corridor, reported 188 fatalities in 2023. In stark contrast, this number was reduced to 50 in 2024 after the ATMS implementation. Monthly data highlights a consistent decline in deaths, with no fatalities reported from September to December 2024,” a NHAI official said.
“The ATMS, designed to enhance traffic safety through real-time monitoring and response, has proven effective in curbing accidents on this busy route. Key features include traffic violation detection, improved incident response times, and integration with emergency services,” official added.
Objective is to reduce accidents
To a question by an MP in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of Roads, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari replied that the objective of ATMS was to reduce accidents, traffic violations and incident response time. “Government plans to implement the ATMS solution in Highways and Expressways in phased manner,” Mr Gadkari said.
“In Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway, the accident data before and after installation of ATMS was reviewed and it was found that there is decrease in fatality post implementation of ATMS in July 2024,” Mr Gadkari added.
From May to July 2024, the NHAI, responding to a rise in incidents of speeding and wrong-side driving on the Bengaluru-Mysuru access-controlled highway, began installing Artificial Intelligence-powered traffic enforcement cameras. These cameras, part of the ATMS, are strategically placed along the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta and Nidaghatta-Mysuru stretches of National Highway 275.
The maximum speed limit on the highway is 100 km/h, established by authorities following a series of accidents on the 117-km stretch shortly after it opened in March 2023. Motorists exceeding this limit face a penalty of ₹1,000. Additionally, those driving above 130 km/h are subject to an FIR being registered by the police, a rule enforced by the Karnataka police starting August 1, 2023.
Published – December 08, 2024 05:54 pm IST