The recent introduction of AI traffic cameras by the RTO to detect traffic violations is a welcome step. However, some activists and members of the public continue to raise objections that could allow traffic indiscipline to continue. As highways are being built and expanded, who will monitor speeding, fancy number plates, driving without a valid PUC or insurance, and other violations? AI cameras can detect such offences and capture details of the vehicle and its owner. With digital systems increasingly linked to identification and payment records, the technology has the potential to detect a wide range of violations. At the same time, activists should continue demanding better road engineering and improved safety measures. Both approaches can work together. Better roads, proper signage and strict enforcement can encourage every driver and rider to follow traffic rules at all times.
The safety of ourselves and others must be our prime concern. We cannot continue to lose precious lives because of reckless drivers who have little regard for the safety of fellow citizens. I believe AI cameras should also be installed in villages, along highways and on all major district roads. NGOs have often organised road safety weeks, while school students are regularly given lectures on road safety. Yet we still see parents and elders happily teaching their underage children to ride without helmets or travel without seatbelts. This is the reality today. We should not be negative about every new measure. Different things can be addressed at the same time. India needs better roads, better safety measures and stricter enforcement, and AI technology can play an important role in making our roads safer.
GE D’souza, Siolim
