IIT Madras launches "3STP" for a more accurate assessment of drivers' knowledge and abilities

'Three-Step Training Process' (3STP) was introduced by the Centre of Excellence for Road Safety (CoERS) of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) at an event on 'Capacity Building and Quality Standards for Driver Training - Factoring the Human in the Journey for Safe Roads' held on July 31, 2023. With the help of this effort, the Driver Training Institute's present trainers will be able to provide a greater assessment of the drivers' knowledge, skill, and practice than they currently can.

Main Goal

The '3STP' programme intends to introduce a lean methodology to audit, provide capacity building, and rate driver training institutes and schools to impart the necessary training to the drivers. With the help of this CoERS initiative, the driver training schools and institutes will have a better organised structure, a wider range of job opportunities, and the employment of more qualified instructors.

Thiru Shankar Jiwal, IPS, Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu Police, who was the chief guest, praised this IIT Madras initiative and stated, "I must congratulate Professor Venkatesh Balasubramanian and other stakeholders for doing a tremendous job on this report... Road safety has been a topic of discussion for a while. However, there is a discrepancy between actual and statistical investigations. There has been a striking decrease in accidents over the past two years-nearly 11% last year and over 8% this year. The reason and effect, however, continue to elude us. We would be happy if academia, particularly projects like CoERS, could explain it to us. Thiru Shankar Jiwal continued, "If the incidence of accidents decreases, it results in several favourable consequences, including a decrease in the loss of lives and limbs.

A reduction in car damage and the amount of time the police spend on paperwork, filing complaints, attending court appearances, etc. result in hidden savings for the GDP. Many savings are lost in a single accident. Everyone anticipates a decrease in incidents, notably catastrophic accidents. Additionally, according to Thiru Shankar Jiwal, "the shift of the concrete measures that can be implemented to translate findings into the field is still not happening. Many of these ought to have been translated into the field.

Statements by the Directors

On October 11, 2022, Professor V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, and Shri Shankar Jiwal, IPS, Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu Police, officially launched this programme. The '3 Gate Licencing System' (3GL), which tests drivers' knowledge in Gate 1, driving abilities in a variety of scenarios in a secure environment, such as a simulator as Gate 2, and practise of skills in a real-world setting as Gate 3, was also announced on the same platform.

IIT Madras Director Professor V Kamakoti commented on the suggestion, saying, "IIT Madras has been focused on 'IIT Madras for All' in recent years, under which various courses have been introduced. Modern advanced technologies, particularly those relating to autonomous driving, require a lot of effort to fully comprehend. From an IC (internal combustion) engine car to an electric one, people must adapt. It is crucial that drivers receive training. I don't know when fully autonomous driving will be available in India, but when it is, adequate driver training will be crucial. A positive step has been taken with this endeavour.

Road Accident Report

Driver mistake, which causes roughly 84 percent of accidents in India, was last cited in the 2016 MoRTH report on Road Accidents in India. According to the MoRTH report "Road Accidents in India 2021," there have been more than 4.12 lakh accidents in India. The analysis made clear that over 80% of all incidents were caused by human error, including traffic infractions, driving without a licence, and failure to wear a seat belt or helmet.