Upgrade tech in vehicles to prevent accidents, Naveen tells carmakers

Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday advised automobile manufacturers to upgrade the safety standards in vehicles by adopting latest technologies.
Naveen was speaking at the Society for Automotive Fitness and Environment (SAFE) annual convention, organised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) here. Inaugurating an exhibition of new safe technologies for automobiles, Naveen said new technologies should be introduced for better and safer driving experiences in the wake of changing trends in the mobility sector.
“It will indeed be a great experience here to know about new technologies behind safer and high-performing vehicles. I appreciate SIAM for extending responsibility beyond vehicular engineering. SIAM has been in the forefront in driver training programmes and health check-up drives for commercial drivers, Naveen said.
Saying that accidents are a serious cause of concern, the chief minister said road safety is a high priority area for his government. “Many people lose their lives in road accidents across the country, including our state, every year. This has a serious impact on families and our economy,” Naveen said, adding that the automobile manufacturers should continue to partner in the governments initiatives to make the roads safer and better.
The chief minister said the government has adopted a four-fold strategy to make the roads safer — by enforcement, education, improvement in road engineering and emergency care. Highlighting the states performance in road safety initiatives, Naveen said Odisha scored 66% and was categorised as a high performer in implementing road safety measures during an audit conducted by the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety.
“The Supreme Court committee also rated some of our initiatives as best practices and suggested recommendations to neighbouring states. Our government started a reward scheme for people who help road accident victims and shift them to hospitals. I am happy to share that more and more people are coming forward to help the road accident victims,” Naveen said.