New Delhi, Jan 14 (NationPress) - In an effort to bolster road safety and mitigate risks associated with unexpected cattle movements on National Highways, the NHAI has partnered with telecom firms to initiate a pilot program aimed at sending real-time safety alerts to drivers nearing areas with high occurrences of stray cattle.

Launched during 'Road Safety Month 2026, this initiative seeks to diminish accidents triggered by unexpected cattle appearances on National Highways, especially in conditions of fog and reduced visibility, as highlighted in a statement released on Wednesday.

The pilot is currently being tested along the Jaipur–Agra and Jaipur–Rewari National Highway routes, identified as regions with frequent stray cattle incidents. Through this program, location-specific alerts will be generated for travelers on these highways, issuing warnings roughly 10 kilometers prior to designated high-risk zones. This advance notice is intended to provide drivers with adequate time to adopt safety precautions, the statement noted.

To effectively communicate with National Highway users, advisories will be distributed via Flash SMS in Hindi during the pilot phase, urging drivers to reduce speed due to potential cattle movement ahead. This will be succeeded by a voice alert delivering the same warning. To avoid alert fatigue, users will not receive repeated notifications within a 30-minute timeframe.

This initiative will utilize telecommunications technology to offer timely and targeted warnings, thereby enhancing driver awareness and safety on National Highways. Alerts will be triggered based on mapped cattle-prone areas identified through historical accident data and field inputs, utilizing the upgraded telecom systems.

Depending on the results and success of the pilot, the NHAI will analyze the feasibility of extending this initiative to additional zones prone to stray cattle, as part of its continuous efforts to enhance road safety and improve the overall experience for users on National Highways nationwide.