Crash data reveals that the biggest chunk of fatalities on Indian roads were of two-wheeler riders. Can AI-powered ADAS/AD come to their rescue? Srini uncovers another promising startup.

Over 45% of the 173,000 lives lost on Indian roads in 2023 were of two-wheeler riders.

- SRINIVAS KRISHNAN

They are the largest category of road users who perish on our roads; pedestrians are second, at a distant 20%. I've written about this before, on how the narrative on road safety is dominated by passenger cars - do you think two-wheelers command a proportionate 45% of all conversations on road safety? I think not. Isn't it bizarre that the people who are in charge of reducing road fatalities in the largest two-wheeler market in the world are not giving this issue the attention it deserves?

Well, at least someone is. These disproportionate deaths have not gone unnoticed in some startups in Bengaluru (and in some prestigious academic institutes in other parts of the country). And also, thankfully, at two-wheeler OEMs. Something is brewing, and it has something to do with cutting-edge technology.

Last month, I wrote about a fascinating startup that's developing foundational models for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems/Autonomous Driving, which are more in tune with Indian driving conditions. If you missed it, scan the QR code at the end of the article to read it online, as it has a link to what follows.

Prakhar Agarwal is the co-founder of BYTES, which says it is India's first startup building Al-powered ADAS for safer two-wheeler mobility. Well, it's more ARAS than ADAS, according to me, but I think Continental has patented the abbreviation. Anyway. Prakhar and his co-founder used to work at Minus Zero - yes, the same ADAS/AD startup that I wrote about previously - but parted ways to set up BYTES. Prakhar reached out after reading it to tell me about what he and his team are doing, and I think it's vital that more people know about it.