[ghodlur]

IRDA the Insurance regulatory authority has taken up the cudgels to minimize the accidents on the highways by launcing a pilot project to provide emergency services on the highways. This includes provision of medical, insurance and emergency prevention measures by making arrangements of round the clock mobile police sqaud and ambulance where a high tech ambulance and mobile police van will be made available every 50 kms. The pilot project is initiated for Hyderabad Vijayanagaram segment of the national highway. If succeesful, it will be rolled out on a national front. The pilot project costs 6 cr rupees equally funded by Insurance cos and IRDA and wil be evaluated for 2 years.

http://indianexpress.com/article/bus...pilot-project/

Key takeways of the project:

1) Dedicated helpline 1033 for calling ambulance once mobile police van is informed of any accident.

2) Ambulance equipped with basic life saving equipments and trained attendant to transfer the injured to the nearest hospital.

3) Identify and inform the related Insurance co about the accident. Insurance rep will contact hospital and do the neccessary payment/reimbursement formalities.

4) Police mobile vans will be maintained by special guards and equipped with breath analyser, speed guns & other gadgets to detect/reduce rash driving.

All in all a good infact best initiative by the Regulatory authorities in response to the Insurance co's pleas of bleeding losses.

Why wasnt the initiative started by the Road and Developement authority or NHAI? Why isnt the state machinery contributing to make it also accountable? Shouldnt the highway contractor also be accountable for the expenses? Shouldnt the notorious stretches like the Pune E-way, Mumbai-Goa highway etc be taken on priority coz the results will be much better seen on these stretches.

[libranof1987]

Isn't the toll we pay also in part for emergency services?

Does this mean there'll be a surcharge in our policies once this project is rolled out nationally?

Something as basic as emergency medical services are being made to look as a favor to the public by all these agencies!

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Why wasnt the initiative started by the Road and Developement authority or NHAI? Why isnt the state machinery contributing to make it also accountable? Shouldnt the highway contractor also be accountable for the expenses? Shouldnt the notorious stretches like the Pune E-way, Mumbai-Goa highway etc be taken on priority coz the results will be much better seen on these stretches.

Probably because only those who are losing money want to do something about it. Contractors are filthy rich from highway construction projects; NHAI and stage machinery- well, if only they had civic sense.