Maharashtra govt to introduce kits for drug test of drivers to curb road accidents

Mumbai, Mar 11 (PTI) With Maharashtra recording an average death of over 40 people per day in road accidents, the state government on Tuesday said it plans to introduce testing kits to assess if a driver has consumed drugs. This was informed by state Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik in the state assembly in reply to a question.

Admitting that the number of deaths due to road accidents is increasing, Sarnaik said the state has not been able to implement the highway Intelligent Traffic Management System.

Under this system, technology like CCTV cameras, sensors, and Artificial Intelligence is used to monitor and manage traffic flow on highways in real-time, aiming to reduce congestion, improve safety, and provide drivers with essential information about road conditions.

Giving details, Saranaik said that the number of accidents in 2022 was 33,383 (91 per day), in 2023 it was 35,243 (96 per day) and rose to 36,084 in 2024 (98 per day).

The figures of deaths in these road accidents were 15,224 in 2022 (41 per day), 15,366 in 2023 (approximately 42 per day) and 15,225 (approximately 42 per day).

The minister said while there have been many cases registered for drunken driving by the police, there have also been cases where drivers have consumed drugs.

"The traffic department is procuring machines that can also assess whether a driver has consumed drugs, apart from running an alcohol test," Sarnaik said.

It may be mentioned that Kerala was the first state to introduce this kind of technology in 2023 in which saliva samples are used to give results in five minutes. It can detect various narcotics like MDMA, brown sugar, and even ganja.

The minister also said the AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology will also be used to alert drivers if there is any traffic violation and impending fines. PTI PR SKL GK