Govt to Map Highway Black Spots with Real-Time e-DAR Data

Highway Black Spots Latest News

• To curb road accidents and fatalities, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) will soon release black spot data for 2023 and 2024 using the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR)/Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) system, which compiles real-time accident data from state police.

Black Spots on National Highways

• India continues to record one of the world’s highest road accident rates, with a large share of fatalities occurring on national highways (NHs) due to accident-prone “black spots” — poorly designed or managed road segments.
• In March 2025, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, criticised the MoRTH for what it called a “significant governance failure.” 
• Out of 13,795 black spots identified across NHs, only 5,036 have been permanently rectified, leaving thousands of dangerous zones unaddressed.

Three-Tier Action Plan

• The panel proposed a time-bound, three-tier plan to fix black spots:
  • Category A (High Risk): Immediate safety steps; permanent fix within 30 days.
  • Category B (Moderate Risk): Fix within 90 days.
  • Category C (Low Risk): Fix within 180 days.
• Agencies missing deadlines should face penalties.

Accountability and Targets

• The committee urged post-implementation audits at 3-month and 12-month intervals and a public dashboard to track progress. 
• Although MoRTH aims to reduce road fatalities by 95% by 2028 and eliminate all black spots by FY 2027-28, progress remains slow — with short-term fixes outpacing long-term structural solutions.

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Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) System

• The Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) and e-Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) system, developed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), serves as India’s national database for road accidents.
• It enables real-time data collection by police using a mobile app and supports data-driven policymaking to improve road safety and speed up victim compensation.

Key Objectives

• Build a centralized national database of road accidents.
• Analyze crash data to identify causes and risk patterns.
• Enable targeted road safety measures and infrastructure interventions.
• Streamline and accelerate compensation claims for accident victims and their families.

How the System Works

• Data Collection: Police officers record accident details instantly using the iRAD app, capturing photos, videos, time, date, and location.
• Unique ID Creation: Each case gets a unique accident ID for easy tracking.
• Information Dissemination: Data is uploaded to a central database, and engineers from relevant departments are alerted for analysis and action.
• Analysis and Reporting: The system generates reports and dashboards to identify black spots and analyze accident causes.
• Claims Processing: Through the e-DAR portal, victims’ families can access accident data to file compensation claims faster.

MoRTH to Release Real-Time Highway Black Spot Data Using e-DAR

• To reduce road accidents and fatalities, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) will soon publish black spot data for 2023 and 2024 using its Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) and Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD) system.
  • This platform collects real-time, geo-tagged accident data entered by state police through mobile apps, enabling quicker identification of high-risk stretches.
• A black spot on a National Highway (NH) is defined as a 500-metre stretch that records either five or more fatal or grievous accidents or ten deaths within three years.
• These areas are prioritised for safety improvements under the government’s road safety programme.

Data Coverage and Progress So Far

• So far, data up to 2022 was available, limiting preventive planning. 
• Using e-DAR/iRAD, MoRTH has now compiled data for 2023–2024, to be released soon.
• From 2016–2022, 13,795 black spots were identified on NHs, and long-term rectification has been completed on 5,036 stretches.

Bridging Data Discrepancies

• The Transport Research Wing (TRW) validates black spot data collected from states.
• Discrepancies between TRW and e-DAR data have now dropped to below 5%, after extensive coordination with states — though Punjab and Jharkhand earlier showed the highest mismatches.
• In 2024, MoRTH recorded a difference of 18,069 accidents (3.96%) and 7,020 fatalities (4.3%) between the two systems.
• MoRTH officials said efforts are underway to align e-DAR data with state police records, ensuring accuracy and better planning.
• Once streamlined, the system will enable faster identification and rectification of accident-prone zones, marking a major step toward data-driven road safety management in India.

Source: IE | PIB | iRAD