The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched a pilot road safety initiative aimed at reducing accidents caused by stray cattle on busy highway stretches. The project was rolled out on Wednesday, 14 January, covering two high-risk corridors, the Jaipur–Agra and Jaipur–Rewari national highways where unexpected cattle movement has been a recurring safety concern.
The initiative is part of a collaboration between NHAI and Reliance Jio, formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed last month. Under this partnership, a telecom-based alert system has been developed to deliver location-specific safety warnings to highway users in real time.
As part of the pilot, motorists travelling through identified cattle-prone zones will receive advance alerts approximately 10 kilometres before entering high-risk stretches. These warnings are intended to give drivers adequate time to reduce speed and exercise caution, particularly during periods of low visibility such as foggy weather, when accident risks increase.
To maximise effectiveness, the alerts will be issued in two stages. Drivers will first receive a Flash SMS in Hindi, warning them about the presence of stray cattle ahead, followed by a voice alert conveying the same message. The system has been designed to avoid repetition, ensuring that the same user does not receive multiple alerts within a 30-minute window.
The alert triggers are based on mapped cattle-prone locations, identified using historical accident data along with on-ground inputs. NHAI has stated that the pilot will be closely monitored, and if the system proves effective, it could be expanded to other vulnerable highway sections across the country as part of a broader road safety enhancement programme.