Keralam to profile drivers with accident records, build statewide road safety monitoring platform

Kochi: The Keralam government has proposed a digital mechanism to profile drivers with a history of traffic violations, accidents and reckless driving, as part of a wider road safety plan submitted to the High Court, which is hearing a suo motu case on road safety in the state.

The proposed Driver Profile Mechanism will combine data from the e-Challan, iRAD, VAHAN, and SARATHI portals to create a comprehensive record of individual drivers. It will include their driving history, accident records, traffic violations, suspension or cancellation of licences, previous enforcement action and findings relating to reckless or dangerous driving. The objective is to identify habitual offenders and facilitate regulatory action against them.

The mechanism is part of a series of measures the Motor Vehicles Department has proposed in response to the High Court's intervention in road safety. The court has also called for a comprehensive, state-wide Integrated Road Safety Monitoring Platform that will bring together multiple agencies and use geographical information to track road safety issues and monitor corrective action.

The urgency was evident during the hearing before the bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar. "We can't just permit all the children and women to fall prey to the buses and go underneath the tyres and die. Why would we want to do that? Come up with something," the bench said, while hearing the case on Tuesday.

The judges also questioned why speeding and reckless driving continued despite detailed road safety guidelines. They pointed out that the PWD manual, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) guidelines and Indian Roads Congress (IRC) provisions already contained safety requirements, but their implementation on the ground remained inadequate.

The judges proposed the Integrated Road Safety Monitoring Platform and listed 10 modules it should incorporate.

GIS, or Geographic Information System, would allow authorities to map accident black spots, road defects, maintenance requirements and reported hazards, identify the agencies responsible and monitor whether corrective measures have been taken. The idea is to move beyond separate departmental records to a common system that shows where problems exist and what action has followed.

1.57 challans, ₹1,017 cr fine
The Transport Commissioner told the court that Keralam has 726 electronic surveillance cameras under the Safe Keralam Project, including 675 AI cameras, 25 parking violation detection systems and 18 red-light violation detection systems. But there are only four dedicated Speed Violation Detection Systems across the state.

The court was not satisfied with this limited speed-detection infrastructure, particularly in view of the scale of violations and the number of fines imposed. It directed the Transport Commissioner to identify locations with frequent accidents and a high incidence of speeding, install additional speed detection systems and submit a report specifying the locations, proposed installations and implementation timeline.

The existing camera network operates round the clock through a State Control Room in Thiruvananthapuram and 14 district-level control rooms. The cameras detect violations including failure to wear helmets and seat belts, use of mobile phones while driving, triple riding, speeding, red-light violations and unauthorised parking.

The department said it had issued 1.57 crore electronic challans up to October 30, 2026, imposing fines totalling ₹1,017.46 crore. However, it did not furnish details of how much of this amount had actually been collected.

Staff shortage
Only 85 enforcement squads are currently functioning under the Safe Keralam Project. The Motor Vehicles Department told the court that it could not ensure continuous enforcement coverage round the clock because of the shortage. It has sought government approval for additional personnel to operate the squads in three shifts across major roads. The proposal is under the government's consideration.

Vehicle fitness inspections present another gap. The department has initiated steps to establish 28 Automated Testing Stations (ATS) across Keralam, but only three have begun operations: at Poyapally and Kunnathur in Kollam and Nooranadu in Alappuzha. The automated facilities are intended to improve the reliability and transparency of vehicle inspections while reducing human intervention.

Speeding buses
The department has proposed a digital platform called KERALA BUSZ to rationalise bus routes and schedules. It will integrate vehicle location tracking, permit and route management, GPS-based movement data, traffic intensity, travel times and permissible speed limits to determine more practical schedules and reduce overlapping services.

The court had questioned whether unrealistic bus schedules were encouraging drivers to speed. During the hearing, it also asked the Transport Commissioner how speeding could continue unchecked in Ernakulam despite repeated accidents. The commissioner informed the court that the schedules would be revised.

A meeting of bus operators' associations, Kochi Metro and other stakeholders is scheduled for November 13 in Ernakulam to discuss and finalise revised timings for private stage carriages. The Regional Transport Authorities have also been instructed to rationalise bus timings by November 30.

Another existing system, SurakshaMitr, developed with technical assistance from the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), monitors public transport vehicles through GPS-based tracking devices. The department told the court that around 2.35 lakh public transport vehicles had been registered on the platform, which receives real-time information on their speed and geographical location.

The department has proposed a state-wide registry of drivers employed in private buses, school buses, stage carriages, contract carriages and other public transport vehicles. It will contain their identity and driving licence details, with access restricted to authorised officers of the Motor Vehicles Department and the Police Department.

Scrapping of old vehicles
The department also informed the court that 782 old vehicles had been dismantled through three registered vehicle scrapping facilities sanctioned at Cherthala, Azhikkal and Edappal.

Meanwhile, the High Court was not satisfied with the PWD's general response to its earlier directions. The court asked Additional Advocate General Mohammed Shah P A, appearing for the state government, to take the lead in coordinating the various departments and agencies to develop and operationalise the Integrated Road Safety Monitoring Platform.

It also directed the State Police Chief to nominate a competent officer to the steering committee that will oversee the platform's development and implementation. The respondents, including NHAI, have been given three weeks to submit concrete proposals and solutions to make the roads safer. The case will be considered again on November 30.