IIT Madras and Chennai Traffic Police Collaborate for Accident Investigation Training

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Centre of Excellence for Road Safety (CoERS) is conducting a training program in collaboration with the Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) aimed at enhancing the scientific investigation of road accidents. The program, titled ‘Training on Structured Crash Investigation using Root Cause Analysis Matrix (RCAM),’ is scheduled from Wednesday to Saturday.

It focuses on equipping investigation officers with design thinking skills to adopt a human factors-based approach in identifying the root causes of accidents, enabling effective communication of their hypotheses. Additional Commissioner of Police Traffic R. Sudhakar emphasized the potential for improved closure rates and more meaningful interventions to prevent future accidents through this new investigative method.

Prof. Venkatesh Balasubramanian, Head of CoERS at IIT Madras, highlighted the importance of introducing empathy into crash investigations and fostering a more result-oriented approach.