- 27th SAFE Annual Convention in Gandhinagar brings policymakers, industry leaders and road safety experts together
- Minister Pravin Gordhanji Mali unveils SIAM-SAFE paper analysing India’s road safety imperatives
- HMSI-Gujarat Road Safety Authority project launched in Ahmedabad; NID-GRA awareness initiative unveiled in Gandhinagar
- 12 Gujarat Road Safety Warriors honoured for outstanding contributions
- Data-driven enforcement, AI, behavioural education and safer vehicle technologies take centre stage
- Sustainable Mobility Expo showcases 10 vehicles and a VECV eye check-up van
NE NEWS SERVICE
GANDHINAGAR, SEPT 20
Safer roads cannot be built through vehicle technology or enforcement alone; they demand a coordinated ecosystem encompassing responsible road users, intelligent infrastructure, data-driven governance and effective emergency care.
This was the central message emerging from the 27th Annual Convention of the Society for Automotive Fitness & Environment (SAFE), an initiative of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, under the Safe Journey (सुरक्षित सफर) initiative.
Themed ‘Safe Journey: A Collective Journey Towards Safety with Responsibility’ (सुरक्षित सफ़र: सुरक्षा और ज़िम्मेदारी की ओर एक सांझी यात्रा), the convention was organised in association with the Transport Department and Gujarat Road Safety Authority, Government of Gujarat. It brought together policymakers, automobile industry representatives and road safety experts to deliberate on responsible road use, stronger safety practices and collaborative action towards safer mobility.
Chief Guest Pravin Gordhanji Mali, Minister of State for Forests and Environment, Climate Change and Transport, Government of Gujarat, underscored the importance of building a culture of responsibility on roads.
“Building a culture of respect on our roads is essential if we want to reduce fatalities and make mobility safer. Awareness, behaviour and civic sense are just as important as technology in improving road safety,” he said.
Guest of Honour P. R. Patelia, Secretary, Roads & Buildings Department, Government of Gujarat, highlighted the complexity of India’s traffic mix.
“In India, we have seven or eight different categories of vehicles on roads impacting the traffic mix, along with many other road users. The more innovative solutions we develop by brainstorming, the better equipped we will be to address our road safety challenges,” he said.
Satish Patel, IAS (Retd.), Commissioner, Gujarat Road Safety Authority, described road safety as a continuing challenge requiring sustained collective effort.
“Road safety is a major challenge. It is a battle that we must fight, and we must continue fighting it. If all of us work together, put in the effort, and dedicate ourselves to this cause, we can make a real difference,” he said.
Sahitya V, IPS, Superintendent of Police, Government of Gujarat, drew attention to the vulnerability of people outside vehicles.
“Road safety is 25% about driver safety and 75% about the people who are on the road. We are currently focusing on driver safety. We need to develop technology to ensure person outside the vehicle is also protected,” he said.
Alok Jaitley, President, SAFE and Executive Officer, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., linked road safety with India’s wider development aspirations.
“India’s growth aspirations demand a mobility ecosystem that not only fuels economic development, enhances connectivity and expands opportunities for millions, but also does so in a manner that is safe, responsible, efficient and environmentally sustainable.”
Emphasising shared responsibility, he said only the combined efforts of all stakeholders could transform individual interventions into an integrated road safety ecosystem.
Vinay Dhingra, Vice President, SAFE and Senior Director, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd., outlined the industry’s continuing efforts through safer vehicle technologies, advanced safety standards, awareness campaigns, rider and driver training, and community initiatives.
“Our task to convert dialogue into action, partnerships into projects, and intent into measurable improvement,” he said.
Gujarat initiatives, national road safety roadmap
The inaugural session, themed ‘A Systems Approach to Road Safety in India,’ witnessed the unveiling of the SIAM-SAFE context paper, ‘Analysing India’s Imperatives for Road Safety,’ by Minister Mali.
The Minister also launched two road safety initiatives: the HMSI–Gujarat Road Safety Authority Road Safety Project in Ahmedabad and the NID–Gujarat Road Safety Authority Road Safety Awareness Project in Gandhinagar.
The convention also recognised 12 Road Safety Warriors of Gujarat for their outstanding contributions towards promoting road safety.
Sustainable mobility takes the spotlight
The Minister inaugurated the Sustainable Mobility Expo, featuring 10 vehicles from leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), alongside a VECV eye check-up van.
Participating manufacturers included Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, TVS, Mahindra & Mahindra, Skoda, Ashok Leyland/Switch, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. and VE Commercial Vehicles.
The exhibits covered two-wheelers, three-wheelers, passenger cars and commercial vehicles, showcasing developments in sustainable mobility and road safety.
The inaugural session was also addressed by Atanu Ganguli, Executive Director–Technical, SIAM, who emphasised the interdependence of vehicles, roads and road-user behaviour.
“The safest vehicle is not a substitute for the safest road, and the safest road cannot compensate indefinitely for unsafe behaviour. We need all three,” he said.
Data and AI for accountable enforcement
The first thematic session, ‘Enforcement & Evaluation: Data-Driven Enforcement and Measurable Accountability in Road Safety Governance,’ examined how data can strengthen enforcement and accountability.
Moderated by Ashim Sharma, Senior Partner & Group Head, NRI, and chaired by Bhagwan K. Bindiganavile, Treasurer, SAFE and Executive Vice-President, VE Commercial Vehicles, the session featured presentations on India’s road safety ecosystem, intelligent parking management and tyre safety.
The speakers included Sharma; J. J. Chaudhari, Deputy Director, Transport Department, Government of Gujarat; Amrit Choudhary, CEO and Founder, Parking Bot; and Sudershan S. Gusain, Chairman, Tyre Safety Awareness Group, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association.
The panel comprised G. S. Malik, IPS, Director General and Inspector General of Police, Government of Gujarat; Satish Patel, Commissioner, Gujarat Road Safety Authority; Ramashankar Pandey, CEO, Work with Dignity Foundation and Chairperson, BARS; and Murtuza Shabbir Painter, Project Head–RASSI/JPRI.
Guest of Honour G. S. Malik highlighted the role of data and artificial intelligence in enforcement and planning.
“Every step that we take in this AI-enabled ecosystem should be grounded in data and every improvement should be visible on our roads. Data and artificial intelligence should be used not only for enforcement but also for better planning,” he said.
He added that Gujarat had scaled up enforcement multi-fold over the preceding two years, demonstrating the possibilities of its application.
Five Es, one mission
A fireside chat, ‘5Es, One Mission: Safer Roads, Safer Lives,’ explored the future of road safety through five interconnected pillars: Education, Engineering, Enforcement, Emergency Care and Evaluation.
Moderated by Latika Taneja, Head–Corporate Communications, Corporate Affairs & CSR, Hero MotoCorp Ltd., the discussion featured Professor Siddartha Khastgir, Head of Safe Autonomy, WMG, University of Warwick, UK, and Dr Subroto Das, Founder, CEO and Managing Trustee, Lifeline Foundation.
Behaviour, engineering and technology
The second thematic session, ‘Education & Engineering: Behavioral Education and Technology Interventions for Safer Roads,’ focused on the role of education, technology and design in promoting safer mobility.
Moderated by Anuj Guglani, Founder & CEO, WAF Group, and chaired by Gururaj Ravi, Vice-President, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., the session featured presentations by Samved Patil, Partner, Grant Thornton; Dilip Shrivastava, Head of Mechatronics–Product Engineering, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd.; and Jimit Raval, Director & Co-Founder, Nexgits Pvt. Ltd.
The panel included Ravi J. Nirmal, Secretary, GSRTC; Jitendra Singh Rajput, Dean, Gandhinagar Campus, NID and CEO-in-Charge, NDBI; Mukti Advani, Senior Principal Scientist, Transport Planning and Environment, CRRI; and Yashpal Sachar, Senior Vice-President, Ashok Leyland Ltd., alongside the session speakers.
The discussions examined behavioural education, technology-led interventions and design approaches to improve road safety.
SIAM continues to work with policymakers, industry and other stakeholders to promote safer, cleaner and sustainable mobility in India. Through its initiatives and member companies, it supports the adoption of new technologies, alternative fuels, responsible road use and sustainable practices, in line with its vision of ‘Building the Nation, Responsibly.’
