The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed the installation of an inbuilt 'moving off information system' (MOIS) in certain categories of four-wheeler passenger and commercial vehicles to reduce the possibility of collision with pedestrians and cyclists in close proximity.
MoRTH in a draft titled "Approval of motor vehicles with regard to the Moving Off Information System for the Detection of Pedestrians and Cyclists" has specified the automotive industry standard for MOIS and will be notified after public consultation.
Moving Off Information System (MOIS) is a system to detect and inform the driver of the presence of pedestrians and cyclists in close proximity and if deemed necessary, based on manufacturer strategy, warn the driver of a potential collision.
"Low-speed moving off from rest manoeuvres that involve collisions between M2, M3, N2 and N3 vehicle category vehicles (subject vehicles) and pedestrians and cyclists have serious consequences for these vulnerable road users (VRUs)," the draft report said. According to the draft report, in the past, VRU safety was raised by increasing the number of mirrors to provide better visibility of the area in front of the vehicle.
"Since collisions with these characteristics still occur and advanced driver assistance systems have been introduced in a lot of vehicle segments, it is obvious to use such assistance systems for avoiding accidents between subject vehicles and VRUs," it added. Vulnerable Road User (VRU) means an adult or child pedestrian or an adult or child cyclist.
"Collision warning signal" means a signal emitted by the MOIS with the purpose of warning the vehicle driver when the MOIS has detected a potential frontal collision with a VRU in close proximity to the front of the vehicle.
"Therefore, this standard requires the activation of a proximity information signal in case pedestrians or cyclists enter the critical blind spot area in front of the vehicle, should the subject vehicle either be preparing to move off from rest in a straight line or be travelling straight ahead at low-speeds," the MoRTH said.
The road ministry's proposal assumes significance as the number of road accidents in India went up by an alarming 12 percent to over 4.6 lakh in 2022, resulting in the deaths of 19 persons every hour. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has set a target to reduce the number of accidents in the country and the resulting deaths by half by 2024.
"Hit from Back" accounted for the largest share in total accident deaths (19.5 percent) in 2022, followed by "Hit and Run" and "Head on Collision" which accounted for 18.1 percent and 15.7 percent, respectively.
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