Drones to put the brakes on e-way speedsters

The Maharashtra Police is all set to use drones on the 97-kilometer (km) stretch of Mumbai-Pune Expressway from next month. At least eight drones will be used to monitor traffic on the Expressway and identify traffic snarl spots.

This will be for the first time wherein drones would be dedicated for a road route to monitor traffic in the state. The cost of each drone is Rs 2.50 lakh, police said.

“This will help the highway traffic police to identify major spots where there are traffic snarls and broadcast real-time images to the police. Drones will also help to identify places from where the traffic can be diverted if there is a snarl,” said Director General of Police (DGP) Maharashtra, Satish Mathur.

“The drone operator will be able to see on the handheld device and will alert the team whenever required. Drones which will cover the five km range distance have a good battery life and resolution,” DGP Mathur said.

In August 2016, the highway traffic police had conducted a trial at the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. A police officer said that the drone testing exercise was done to see how its functioning and the results. A report on the same was submitted to the government.

To add to this, another initiative that the police have undertaken on the Expressway is that, every ten minutes, police will patrol the entire Expressway. 

“In order to ensure that the police are doing their duties diligently, we will maintain a register which will be handled by the reporting officer,” said Additional Director General of Police, Highway Traffic Police, RK Padmanabhan.

“Drones will be useful for patrolling especially in the ghat areas,” he added.

Analysis

Fast and dangerous driving on Mumbai-Pune Expressway has led to several accidents over the years. Deploying drones to monitor drivers cutting lanes, overtaking etc will definitely help reduce the number of accidents as policemen can now take action against errant drivers.