Road accidents continue to be a leading cause of death, disabilities and hospitalisation in the country, which leads to sudden disruption and tragic consequences for countless citizens and their families on a daily basis. Road Accidents have become a menace in India. iRAD tries to solve it by creating an integrated road accident database to help authorities to take proactive decisions and make ‘Better and Safe Roads for All.’ The statistics show India in a very grim light with respect to the global road safety data. India dismally ranks first in the number of road accident deaths across the 199 countries and accounts for almost 11 percent of the accident related deaths in the world. On an average, the number of major accidents in the country per year is around 5 lakh with a death toll of about 1.5 lakh - which is most anywhere in the world. If we look into the recently published data by the Transport Research Wing of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Govt. of India, a total of 449,002 accidents took place in the country during the calendar year 2019 leading to 151,113 deaths and 451,361 injuries. In percentage terms, the number of accidents decreased by 3.86 points in 2019 over that of the previous year, while the accident related deaths decreased by 0.20 points and the number of person injured decreased by 3.86 points. This information is based on information supplied by the Police Departments of States and UTs in a set of standardised formats approved by the Committee on Road Safety. The social and economic cost of such a high number of accidents and fatalities are enormous – for the victims and families in particular and the country as a whole. According to one estimate, the total socio-economic cost due to the road traffic accidents in India is between USD 15.71 - 38.81 billion, which is estimated to be approximately 0.55 - 1.35 percent of the country’s GDP. Despite India being a signatory to the 2nd Global Conference on Road Safety held in Brazil in 2015, popularly referred to as the Brasilia Declaration, which resolved to halve the deaths alongside strong road safety and enforcement measures taken by the concerned authorities, the accident rates are not diminishing significantly. Ironically, as the road network has been advancing with faster highways and expressways, the number of accidents and deaths has also been increasing. It is noted that National Highways which only comprise 2.03 percent of total Indian road network, continued to account for a disproportionate share of 35.7 percent of deaths in 2019. Further, State Highways which only account for 3.01 percent of the road length accounted for 24.8 percent of deaths. In total, both National and State highways comprise 5 percent of the total road network, but witness around 61 percent of the accidental deaths. Other Roads which constitute 95 percent of total roads were responsible for a balance of 39 percent deaths respectively. More accidents on highways may also be pointing to the need for improved enforcement and corrections to be put on National and State Highways. In this context, iRAD (Integrated Road Accident Database) is a major initiative from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), and is funded by the World Bank, with the objective to tackle the road accident menace in a scientific manner, utilising modern ICT tools and techniques in coordination with the ground-level personnel of accident management agencies. The purpose is to collect reliable road accident data from the actual spot with detailed inputs from Police, Transport Department, Highway authorities and Hospitals and build up a comprehensive database that can be further linked with other stakeholders in the ecosystem like Ambulance Services, Blood Banks, CCTNS, Insurance Companies, and Motor Accident Claim Tribunals. iRAD Stakeholders This ecosystem provides proper reporting of accidents with reliable documentation, facilitates detailed analysis for prevention of accidents, a quicker help mechanism to get medical attention, alongside faster claim settlement from Insurance providers. NIC and NICSI in collaboration with IIT Madras are implementing the system across the country. iRAD mobile and web apps are developed by NIC Chennai and are provided to all the stakeholders (Police Stations, RTOs, Hospitals, etc.) personnel from the ground level. Since its launch, 34 States and UTs have on-boarded the system in a phased manner. As of now, over 3.40 Lakh accident cases involving 4.90 lakh persons have been recorded in the system in one year (a period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022). Out of which, 1.08 lakh are death cases and 91,000 are those with grievous injuries. NICSI has deployed 737 Roll-out Managers at both District and State levels and conducted about 40,000 training / hand-holding sessions at Central, State and District levels covering more than 2.28 Lakh participants. Sustained efforts are made by NIC and NICSI to cover all the states and stakeholders, in order to make the system comprehensive. The data collected through iRAD will be analysed using an advanced data analytics platform for identification of accident-prone areas and black-spots and other causes of the accidents including road engineering defects. The analysis output will also lead to better management of emergency response systems and health-care facilities for accident victims and also help in decision making and policy formulation by relevant authorities. The outcome of the project is expected to lead to better road safety. Further, as per the guidance of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, iRAD system is being extended in its scope and functionality by incorporating the process of accident claim settlement. MoRTH has also notified new rules and a set of forms pertaining to Accident Claims Settlement. Accordingly, the iRAD system is being reoriented as eDAR (Electronic Detailed Accident Report system) and being redeveloped with enhanced functionalities for the police department and also additional services and users like insurance companies, MACT (Motor Accident Claims Tribunal) and so on. The prototype system has also been demonstrated to the Hon’ble Supreme Court and now the final testing and roll out of the system are being planned. NIC and NICSI officers at Central (Delhi and Chennai), State and District levels are putting in their best efforts to make the project a success. Once the system is implemented comprehensively, it will lead to better reporting, management and analysis of accidents and their victims and will eventually help in reducing accidents and fatalities.