CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has developed an Integrated Road Safety Dashboard, a digital platform designed to bring together disparate data streams and convert them into actionable policy insights for States and Union Territories.
Conceived as a scalable and replicable digital public infrastructure, the dashboard enables a standardised yet flexible approach to road safety management, allowing States to align the platform with their own governance structures and safety strategies. By integrating data from multiple departments and presenting it through real-time analytics, the system helps leadership identify high-risk areas, assign responsibility, track interventions and measure outcomes.
Developed by RBG Labs at IIT-M, the platform marks a major advance in e-governance by enabling coordinated, data-driven decision-making in a domain that has long suffered from fragmented oversight. Its potential has already been demonstrated in Odisha, which recently launched the dashboard as part of the ongoing Road Safety Month 2026 celebrations.
“The dashboard provides the analytical backbone and monitoring we need for sustained enforcement and interventions,” Odisha Transport Commissioner-cum-Chairman of the State Transport Authority Amitabh Thakur said. “By adopting a data-driven, human factors-based approach, we are equipping our officers with modern tools to improve enforcement and ultimately save lives,” he added.
Road safety has emerged as a national priority, with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and State governments increasingly recognising the need for systematic, evidence-based interventions. However, the challenge cuts across departments including Transport, Police, road-owning agencies, Health and Urban Development, often resulting in siloed action and limited accountability.
Highlighting the broader significance of the initiative, IIT-M Director V Kamakoti said road safety demanded coordinated institutional action and intelligent use of data. “This dashboard shows how academic research and technological innovation can directly support governance and public service delivery,” he said.
The platform builds on the Integrated Road Accidents Database (iRAD), now known as eDAR, the national accident database of the Centre. While eDAR strengthened accident data collection, States sought tools that could translate data into decisions and sustained monitoring. “This is not just a technology platform; it is a governance reform tool,” RBG Labs Head Venkatesh Balasubramanian said.
With features ranging from executive dashboards and location intelligence to a citizen portal for reporting hazards and accidents, the system aims to institutionalise accountability and transparency.