Project to eliminate drunken driving launched

A pilot project aimed at eliminating drunken driving incidents and spreading awareness about road safety was launched in the city with support from Telangana Government and various stakeholders. The programme, "Drink Safe and Smart Ride" aims to achieve "Zero DUI" (driving under the influence). "Telangana is first State in the country to adopt and implement this Mission Smart Ride initiative in collaboration with various stakeholders - Government, insurance companies, corporates, taxi service providers and restaurant operators to ensure Zero DUI," B Nanda Sandilya, CEO and Founder, Mission Smart Ride, told reporters. This initiative is a framework to introduce anti-DUI policy combined with procedures and products to offer services, intelligent applications and integrated tools and infrastructure to enable Zero DUI. The service will be available for customers at various establishments within Telangana, where liquor is served. The mission integrates with an intelligent "One Touch" call routing application which provides call forwarding service to the nearest cab service, Sandilya said. "The Mission Smart Ride for Zero DUI will include services like enabling integration of insurance applications with major cab service providers and establishing automated call forwarding to the nearest taxi services from the calling area." Telangana IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said, "This initiative aims to eliminate DUI incidents by promoting responsible drinking habits and improve road safety." The project uses technology to address gaps and reduce the incidents of DUI in Telangana by deploying various smart products, services and solutions, Ranjan said. The mission also encompasses structured awareness programmes for parents and students, identifying the DUI patterns and townships or highways with most drunken driving incidents to achieve Zero DUI in the state.