IRF India Webinar Series

As part of the Road Safety Month, IRF-IC hosted its 10th lecture on “Safety of Motorised Two-Wheelers in India – How to Tackle it through Road & Vehicle Design Options?”. Dr. Rohit Baluja, President, Institute of Road Traffic Education was the Moderator at the event. Mr. Prashant K. Banerjee, Executive Director, Society of Indian Automobiles Manufacturers and Dr. Ravi Sekhar, Chief Scientist, CSIR – Central Road Research Institute were the Guest Speakers.  Mr. K. K. Kapila, President (Emeritus), IRF & Founder President, IRF-IC delivered the welcoming and opening remarks in the lecture. He mentioned that safe technological systems including ABS brakes for all two-wheelers cannot be ignored. He also stressed on the need for mandating airbags for two-wheelers and the helmets which do not allow a vehicle to start till worn. Dr. Rohit Baluja, emphasized the necessity for designated driving lanes to boost the safety of two-wheeler drivers, who are among the most vulnerable road users alongside pedestrians. He also mentioned that India needs to create its own vehicular safety systems instead of copying others. Click Here Mr. Prashant K. Banerjee, highlighted - India accounts for the highest road fatalities in the world. He also mentioned despite passenger vehicles adhering to best safety norms and having ultra-modern safety features installed, there is a lack of holistic enforcement procedures, a level-playing field and awareness amongst consumers regarding safer mobility. Click Here Dr. Ravi Sekhar, explained importance of Anti-lock Braking System (ABC) and Combined Braking System (CBS). He also addressed Road & Vehicle Design Solutions through IRC:SP:150-2025 Recommended Practices for the Planning and Designing of Motorized Two-Wheeler Lanes. Click Here For full lecture recording and presentation of Dr. Ravi Sekhar, visit IRF-IC’s website at https://www.deeppink-spider-459065.hostingersite.com

IRF India Chapter organized its 9th Webinar of the webinar series, titled “Capacity Augmentation & Service Life Enhancement of Bridges” - Managing assets for maximizing service life and serviceability demands innovative and modern technologies” on 13th May 2025 from 16:00 – 17:30 Hrs. The Webinar was attended by Road Safety Professionals, Research Scholars, Corporates, Highway Engineers, Road Planners, Academician, etc. Prof. P.K. Sikdar, Advisor, IRF-IC, introduced and invited the moderator of the webinar Mr. S. K. Puri, Executive Director, ICT Pvt. Ltd.  Mr. S. K. Puri, welcomed the distinguished Speakers and attendees. The following Speakers made presentations at the Webinar which are available on IRF-IC’s website www.deeppink-spider-459065.hostingersite.com Click Here - Dr. N. Anandavalli, Director, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai, stressed that India must shift to smarter solutions for infrastructure monitoring. She highlighted how modern technologies such as advanced instrumentation, AI, and data analysis can help identify internal damages that are often missed during manual inspections. She said that Bridges are the lifelines of our transport networks. Maintaining them in good condition is crucial for both safety and accessibility. She added that environmental factors, water exposure, air pollution, and increasing traffic loads lead to faster deterioration of infrastructure, making timely detection and repair imperative and most important. Using AI-based systems and embedded sensors -- an approach known as Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) -- can allow engineers to detect issues early, understand better the damage patterns, and plan maintenance more effectively. However, Dr. Anandavalli also pointed out a major challenge where, India was importing critical sensors at a very high cost. She opined that it is time we invested in developing our own sensor technology to reduce dependence on imports and make large-scale infrastructure monitoring more affordable. Click Here - Dr. Gopal Rai, CEO, Dhirendra Group of Company (DGC), explained the importance of Bridge Rehabilitation. He highlighted that while SHM systems offer many benefits over traditional inspections, their high cost remains a key hurdle. These technologies are essential for ensuring the safety and extending the lifespan of our bridges and tunnels, but they must become more accessible and affordable for widespread use. He also talked about band stressing method and groove laminate with their applications. Click Here

As part of the Road Safety Month, IRF-IC hosted its 9th lecture on “Traffic Enforcement in India – Why is it not successful in achieving Correction in Behaviour of Road Users ?”. Ms. Monika Bhardwaj, IPS, Additional Commissioner of Police, Traffic (Zone-I), Delhi and Mr. Gurpreet Singh Basra, Business Unit Head - Traffic & Transit, Amnex Infotechnologies Pvt. Ltd. were the Guest Speakers. Mr. Akhilesh Srivastava, President, IRF - IC, delivered the welcome address and opening remarks. He also provided a brief overview of the objectives and initiatives of the International Road Federation – India Chapter’s Lecture Series. Prof. P. K. Sikdar, Advisor, IRF – IC, provided a brief overview of the lecture topic and introduced guest speakers of the event. Ms. Monika Bhardwaj, highlighted the behavior of road users, citing data on traffic challans. She mentioned that over the past five years, approximately 75 to 80 Lakhs challans have been issued annually. She mentioned that around 1,800 new vehicles are being registered daily in Delhi and it has already very high vehicle density. The lifespan of diesel vehicles is up to 10 years and for petrol vehicles, it is up to 15 years. However, the lifespan of approximately 55 to 60 Lakhs vehicles have already expired, yet many of them are possibly still operating on the roads in Delhi. Vehicles that have exceeded their permitted lifespan should no longer be on the roads, as they significantly contribute to the pollution problem in Delhi. To correct road user behavior, it is essential to address infrastructural gaps. Problems such as lack of proper road signage and markings need to be identified and resolved. There is a noticeable lack of awareness among road users regarding traffic norms and safety measures. Many people are unaware of road signages and markings, despite holding a valid driving license. She suggested 5 E’s to be implemented actively, which translates to Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Engagement, and Evaluation to correct Road user behavior. Click Here Mr. Gurpreet Singh Basra, emphasized about the different problems in which he highlighted the Cultural Normalization attitude in Road Users. He also mentioned that Enforcement in India must evolve from being a manual, reactive mechanism to a strategically designed behavioural ecosystem. He also highlighted that Technology offers the means, but the success lies in aligning systems with human psychology - certainty of detection, fairness of action, and clarity of consequence. Click Here For full lecture recording and presentation of Mr. Gurpreet Singh Basra, visit IRF-IC’s website at https://www.deeppink-spider-459065.hostingersite.com

IRF India Chapter organized the 12th and the concluding Webinar in the series, titled “Sustainable Development with Road Safety” on 15th December 2021 from 16:30 – 18:45 Hrs. At the outset, Mr. K.K. Kapila, President (Emeritus), IRF, and Founder President, IRF-IC welcomed the participants and gave a brief review of the Webinar series. He informed that the Hon’ble Minister could not make it due to his preoccupation in the parliament, however, he has sent a message. He welcomed the distinguished Speakers, Panelists, and attendees. The following Speakers and Panelists joined the Webinar and shared their thoughts and observations which are available on IRF-IC’s website www.deeppink-spider-459065.hostingersite.com The Guest Speaker at the Webinar was Mr. K.C. Gupta, Addl. Secretary,Incharge Road Safety, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. Mr. Gupta shared his thoughts during the webinar. Ms.Estibaliz Barañano, Director General, ASIMOB (Topic: Technology as Enabler for Sustainability in Mobility & Road Sector)Mr. K.K. Kapila, President (Emeritus), IRF Geneva, (Topic: What Works and What Does not for Road Safety in Developing World)Mrs. QuyLinh Nguyen, Program Director, AIPF-Vietnam (Topic: Sustainable Transport and Road Safety)Mr.Amit Bhatt, Executive Director, WRI India (Topic: Sustainable Development & Road Safety in Reference to India) Recording of 12th Webinar on the subject “Sustainable Development with Road Safety”

IRF India Chapter organized the 11th Webinar in the series, titled “Strengthening Emergency Care System along the National Highways / Expressways – A National Priority” on17thNovember 2021 from 16:30 – 19:00 Hrs. At the outset, Mr. K.K. Kapila, President (Emeritus),IRF and Founder President, IRF-IC welcomed the participants and briefly explained about the objective of the Webinar.  He mentioned that the 5th E of Road Safety, the Emergency Trauma Care was an important aspect which needed to be fast tracked by allocating due financial resources. There were concerns pertaining to handling of Trauma on our Highways and Expressways in the existing medical facilities.  There was a need to study these medical facilities for their upgradation and enhancing capacities and capabilities to handle emergencies and provide appropriate trauma care towards saving lives and injuries.  He also highlighted the Government of India’s recent efforts to promote the spirit of Good Samaritans through suitable incentive schemes and awards. He welcomed the distinguished Speakers, Panelists and attendees.  The following Speakers and Panelists joined the Webinar and shared their thoughts and observations which are available on IRF-IC’s website www.deeppink-spider-459065.hostingersite.com 1. Prof. (Dr.) Amit Gupta, Apex Trauma Center, AIIMS (Topic: Strengthening Post Crash Care by Capacity Assessment of Health Care Facilities along the Existing and Proposed Expressways) 2. Dr. Kanwar Sen, Principal Consultant CGHS, Ministry of Health, GoI 3. Prof. (Dr.) Subodh Kumar, JPN Apex Trauma Center, AIIMS (Topic: Infrastructure v/s Manpower Mismatch in Existing Trauma Care Systems: Challenges and the Way Forward) 4. Prof. (Dr.) Sunil Kumar, DG (Health Services), MH&FW, GoI (Topic: Capacity Building of First Responders along National Highways & Expressways: Bystander and Paramedic Training) Summing up the insights gained from the Presentations, the Panelists – Dr. Arun Mohan (presentation), Dr. Subroto Das, Dr. Maneesh Singhal shared their thoughts and suggestions. An announcement was also made about the forthcoming 12th Webinar on the theme “Sustainable Development with Road Safety”, scheduled to be held on 15th December 2021. Recording of 11th Webinar on the subject "Strengthening Emergency Care System along the National Highways / Expressways – A National Priority"

IRF India Chapter organized the 10th Webinar in the series, titled “Enforcement Innovations for Road Safety” on20th October 2021 from 16:30 – 18:45 Hrs. At the outset, Mr. Satish Parakh, President,IRF-IC welcomed the participants at the Webinar. He informed that IRF-IC is working relentlessly on all the 5E’s of Road safety in association with both the Government agencies and the Corporate sector. To bring down accidents and fatalities to 50% by 2030, IRF set out Action Plan for Road Safety through 12 Webinar series and 7 State Demonstration Corridor Programme. He set the context of the webinar and briefed the participants about the forthcoming Webinars. Prof. P.K. Sikdar informed that Mr. K.K. Kapila, President Emeritus, IRF, is indisposed and on his behalf, he welcomed and introduced the Moderator of the Webinar, Dr. Rohit Baluja, President, IRTE. He also welcomed all the distinguished speakers and attendees. Video messages of Mr. Jean Todt, United Nations Secretary General‘s Special Envoy for Road Safety and President, FIA, and Mr. Bill Halkias, President, IRF Geneva were shown and IRF-IC Road Safety Anthem was also played to convey the spirit of Road safety. Dr. Rohit Baluja, President, IRTE, and Director, College of Traffic Management shared his insights on road safety. He welcomed and introduced the four distinguished Speakers to the Webinar. 1. Mr. Arun Bothra, IPS, Commissioner Transport, Government of Odisha (Topic: Adoption of Smart Technologies for Successful Enforcement) 2. Mr. Krishna Prasad T., IPS (R), DGP & Chairman Road Safety Authority, Telangana (Topic: Enforcement Laws & Policies aiming for Road Safety) 3. Mr. Amit Thatte, Founder & CEO, Kataline Infraproducts Pvt. Ltd.(Topic: Traffic Enforcement through Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) 4. Mr. Dhaval Desai, Managing Director, Trafitek Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (Topic: Traffic Enforcement through Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) Summing up the insights gained from the Presentations, Dr. Rohit Baluja conducted the Question & Answer session. An announcement was also made about the forthcoming 11th Webinar on the theme “Strengthening Emergency Care System along the National Highways / Expressways – A National Priority”, scheduled to be held on 17th November 2021. Recording of 10th Webinar on the subject “Enforcement Innovations for Road Safety"

IRF India Chapter organized the 9th Webinar in the series, titled “Education and Campaign for Promoting Road Safety” on 22nd September 2021 from 16:30 – 18:45 Hrs. At the outset, Dr. S. Gangopadhyay, Past President, IRF-IC welcomed the participants at the Webinar. He set the context of the webinar and also briefed the participants about the forthcoming Webinars. Dr. S. Gangopadhyay welcomed and invited Prof. P.K. Sikdar, Advisor, IRF India to introduce the Webinar. Prof. Sikdar informed that due to some pressing emergency, the President Emeritus, Mr. K.K. Kapila had not joined the session. He went on to welcome and introduce the Moderator of the Webinar, Dr. Arun Mohan, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, and Invited him to moderate the Session. Videos Messages of Mr. Jean Todt, United Nation Secretary General‘s Special Envoy for Road Safety and President, FIA, and Mr. Bill Halkias, President, IRF Geneva were relayed. IRF’s Road Safety Anthem was also played. Dr. Arun Mohan shared his insights on road safety with the participants and welcomed and introduced the Speakers. Besides Prof. Prajapati Trivedi, Distinguished Professor, Management Development Institute, who was the Guest Speaker at the Webinar, the Webinar had four distinguished Speakers. Prof. Trivedi shared his thoughts on the theme of the Webinar. 1. Ms. Meenakshi Sahni, Principal, Modern School (Topic: Road Safety Education for Children as Part of School Curriculum) 2. Ms. Parul Kumar, Founder & Vice President, Prabhaav Foundation (Topic: Road Safety Awareness Campaign for Young Adults & Communities) 3. Mr. Arun Lakshman, Consultant, SwarnLataMotherson Trust (Topic: Road Safety Education as Part of Driver Licensing & for Policy Planners – Administrators of Road Safety) 4. Prof. P.K. Sikdar, Advisor, IRF India (Topic: Education & Campaign as Built-in Requirements of Road Development Projects – Greenfield & Upgradation) Summing up the insights gained from the Presentations, Dr. ArunMohan conducted the Question & Answer session. An announcement was also made about the forthcoming 10th Webinar on the topic of “Enforcement Innovations for Road Safety’’, scheduled to be held on 20th October 2021. Recording of 9th Webinar on the subject "Education & Campaign for Promoting Road Safety"

IRF India Chapter organised the 8th Webinar in the series, titled “Vehicle Technologies for Road Safety” on 27th August 2021 from 16:30 – 18:45 Hrs. At the outset, Dr. S. Gangopadhyay, President, IRF-IC welcomed the participants at the Webinar. He set the context of the webinar and also briefed the participants about the forthcoming Webinars. Dr. S. Gangopadhyay thereafter welcomed and introduced the Moderator of the Webinar, Mr. Anil Kumar Chigulapalli, Sr. General Manager, TATA Motors and Co-Chair of SIAM, and Invited him to moderate the Webinar. He further informed that due to some pressing emergency, the Guest Speaker of the Webinar, Mr. Amit Mehta, Joint Secretary, Department of Heavy Industries, Ministry of Heavy Industries would not be able to participate. Apart from the Guest Speaker, the Webinar had three distinguished Speakers. Videos conveying the messages of Mr. Jean Todt, United Nations Secretary General‘s Special Envoy for Road Safety and President, FIA, and Mr. Bill Halkias, President, IRF Geneva were played. The newly developed Road Safety Anthem was also played. Mr. Anil Kumar Chigulapalli shared his insights on road safety with the participants and welcomed and introduced the Speakers. 1. Dr.Reji Mathai, Director, ARAI (Topic: Advancements in Vehicle Technologies and Safety Regulations in India) 2. Mr. Gaurav Gandhi, General Manager CSR, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (Topic: Comprehensive view on Vehicular Safety) 3.Mr. Graham Williams, Managing Director, GB MOT Training Ltd. (Topic: Inspection and Certification to ensure Road Worthiness of In-use Vehicles) Summing up the insights gained from the three Presentations, Mr. Anil Kumar Chigulapalli conducted the Question & Answer session. An announcement was also made about the forthcoming 9th Webinar, which is proposed to be held on 22nd September 2021. Recording of 8th Webinar on the subject "Vehicle Technologies for Road Safety"

IRF India Chapter organised the 7th Webinar in the series, titled “Intelligent Transport System (ITS) for Road Safety” on 28th July 2021 from 16:30 – 18:45 Hrs. At the outset, Dr. S. Gangopadhyay, President, IRF-IC welcomed the participants at the Webinar. He set the context of the webinar and also briefed the participants about the forthcoming Webinars. Since, Mr. K.K. Kapila, President (Emeritus), IRF Geneva was unwell and unable to attend the webinar, Mr. Somenath Ghosh, Consultant, ICT read out Mr. Kapila’s Keynote Address. Videos conveying the messages of Mr. Jean Todt, United Nations Secretary General‘s Special Envoy for Road Safety and President, FIA, and Mr. Bill Halkias, President, IRF Geneva were played. The newly developed Road Safety Anthem was also played. Dr.S. Gangopadhyay thereafter welcomed and introduced the Moderator of the Webinar, Mr. Balraj Bhanot, Former Director ARAI & Chairman CMVR-TSC, and Invited him to moderate the Webinar. Mr. Balraj Bhanot shared his insights on road safety with the participants and welcomed and introduced the Speakers. In addition to Mr.Sudhendu Jyoti Sinha, Advisor, NITI Aayog, who was the Guest Speaker at the Webinar, the Webinar had five distinguished Speakers. 1. Mr.Alok Sethi, General Manager, DIMTS (Topic: Smart& Enabling ITS Technologies for Road Safety) 2. Dr.Madhusudan Joshi, Head – Electronics Division, ICAT (Topic: Smart& Enabling ITS Technologies for Road Safety) 3.Mr.Chaitanya Y. Bhatt, CEO, Surat Smart City Ltd. (Topic: ITS Applications in Smart Cities) 4. Dr.P.K. Sarkar, Former Professor, SPA (Topic: Application of ITS Technologies for Safety of Vulnerable Road Users) 5. Mr.Prakash Rosayyan, Joint Director, CDAC (Topic: Indigenously Developed ITMS Components and the Use Cases) Summing up the insights gained from the five Presentations, Mr. Balraj Bhanot conducted the Question & Answer session. An announcement was also made about the forthcoming 8th Webinar, which is proposed to be held on 27th August 2021. Recording of Seventh Webinar held on subject "Intelligent Transport System (ITS) for Road Safety"

IRF India Chapter organised the 6th Webinar in the series titled “Accident / Crash Data Collection & Management” on 30thJune 2021 from 16:30 – 18:45 Hrs. At the outset,Mr. K.K. Kapila, President (Emeritus), IRF Geneva welcomed the participants at the Webinar. He set the context of the webinar and also briefed the participants about the forthcoming Webinars. Delivering his Keynote Address, Mr. Kapila introduced the Webinar. He also briefed the participants about the road safety initiatives of IRF-IC, details of which have been uploaded on the IRF-IC website. He invited participants and Corporates to generously contribute towards this road safety initiative. Videos conveying the messages of Mr. Jean Todt, United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety and President, FIA and Mr. Bill Halkias, President, IRF Geneva were played. The newly developed Road Safety Anthem was also played. Mr. Kapila thereafter welcomed and introduced the Moderator of the Webinar, Mr. PiyushTewari, Founder & CEO, SaveLIFE Foundation, and Invited him to moderate the Webinar. Mr. PiyushTewari shared his insights on road safety with the participants and welcomed and introduced the Speakers. In addition to Dr.Arun Mohan, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India (view presentation here), who was the Guest Speaker at the Webinar, the Webinar had three distinguished Speakers. 1. Dr.Rohit Baluja, President, Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) (Topic: Crash Investigation and Reconstruction) 2. Prof. P.K. Sikdar, President, ICT Pvt. Ltd. (Topic : Modern Method of Accident Data Collection & Management) 3.Mr.Ravishankar Rajaraman, Technical Director, JP Research India Pvt. Ltd. (Topic: Accident/Crash Data and Casual Approach) Summing up the insights gained from the three Presentations, Mr. PiyushTewari conducted the Question & Answer session. Recording of Sixth Webinar held on subject "Accident / Crash Data Collection & Management"

IRF India Chapter organised the 5th Webinar in the series. The Webinar titled “Engineering Measures & Funding for Road Safety” was held on 1st June 2021 from 16:30 – 18:45 Hrs. At the outset,Dr. S. Gangopadhyay, Chairman, IRF-IC welcomed the participants at the Webinar. He set the context of the webinar and also briefed the participants about the forthcoming Webinars. Mr. K.K. Kapila, President (Emeritus), IRF Geneva gave the Keynote Address and introduced the Webinar. He also briefed the participants about the road safety initiatives of IRF-IC, details of which have been uploaded on IRF-IC website. He invited participants and Corporates to generously contribute towards this road safety initiative. The Webinar was moderated by Mr. Bill Halkias, President, IRF Geneva and had four eminent Speakers. Video conveying the message of Mr. Jean Todt, United Nations Secretary General‘s Special Envoy for Road Safety and President, FIA. Dr. S. Gangopadhyay spoke a few words about Mr. Jean Todt. He thereafter welcomed and introduced the Moderator of the Webinar, Mr. Bill Halkias, President, IRF Geneva. Mr. Bill Halkias shared his insights on road safety to the participants and welcomed and introduced the Speakers. 1. Mr.Rob Mclnerney, CEO, iRAP (Topic : Adopting iRAP Star Rating for Global Targets) 2. Mr.Konstatinos Papandreou, CEO & M.D., Olympia Odos Operations SA (Topic : Management of Safety in Construction & Maintenance Works) 3.Mr.Shailesh Pathak, Head-Special Initiative Development Projects, L&T Ltd. (Topic : Financing Options for Consistent and Continued Interventions) 4. Dr. H.K. Reddy, CEO, Cube Highways and Transportation Assets Advisors (P) Ltd. (Topic :Mechanisms for Ensuring Safety in Toll Roads) Recording of Fifth Webinar held on subject "Engineering Measures & Funding for Road Safety" Questions & Answers Speaker : Mr. Kostas Papandreou Topic : Management of Safety in Construction & Maintenance Works Speaker : Dr. H.K. Reddy Topic :Mechanisms for Ensuring Safety in Toll Roads Speaker : Mr.Rob Mclnerney Topic: Adopting iRAP Star Rating for Global Targets Speaker: Mr.Shailesh Pathak Topic: Financing Options for Consistent and Continued Interventions

IRF India Chapter organised the 4th Webinar titled “Road Safety Management and Action Plan” on 18th May 2021 from 16:30 – 19:00 Hrs. At the outset, Mr. K.K. Kapila,  President (Emeritus), IRF Geneva introduced the Webinar.  The Webinar was moderated by Dr. Shomik Raj Mehndiratta, Practice Manager, Transport – South Asia, The World Bank and had four eminent Speakers as follows:- The Guest Speaker at the Webinar was Mr. R.K. Pandey, Member (Projects), National Highways Authority of India. Welcoming and introducing the guest speaker at the Webinar, Dr. S. Gangopadhyay, Chairman, IRF India Chapter made his Introductory remarks. 1. Mr.Kailash C. Tiwari, Consultant, Australia (Topic : Safe System Approach and Global Performance Targets) 2. Mr. Krishnan Srinivasan, Sr. Road Safety Consultant, The World Bank (Topic: Development of Capacity for Road Safety Management) 3. Dr. S.M. Sarin, Former Scientist-G, CRRI (Topic : Traffic Calming Measures for Enhancing Safety) 4. Mr. Tony Mathew, Principal Transport Specialist, TRL and Dr. John Fletcher, Principal Consultant, TRL, UK (Topic: Systematic Approach for Maximising Road Safety Benefits) Recording of Fourth Webinar held on subject “Road Safety Management and Action Plan”