Author – Ritesh Ranjan: Road accidents remain one of the most serious public safety challenges across South Asia and Southeast Asia. Addressing this issue requires more than awareness campaigns or isolated policy measures. It demands collaboration, innovation, reliable data and practical technology that can be deployed across different regions.
Taking a major step in this direction, the Centre of Excellence for Road Safety, or CoERS, at IIT Madras organised its first-ever international hackathon on 16 July 2026. Titled the BIMSTEC AI Road Safety Hackathon 2026, the event brought together students, engineers, researchers and innovators from India and other BIMSTEC member nations under the theme “AI in Road Safety.”
The initiative demonstrated how artificial intelligence can support regional cooperation and help create safer roads for millions of people.
A Historic International Initiative by IIT Madras
The BIMSTEC AI Road Safety Hackathon 2026 marked an important milestone for CoERS, as it was the centre’s first international hackathon.
A dedicated BIMSTEC track was introduced to encourage participation from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, alongside teams from India. By bringing together young innovators from South Asia and Southeast Asia, the event created a common platform for developing technology-driven solutions to shared road safety problems.
The hackathon was designed with an ambitious goal: to become one of the largest innovation platforms for road safety in the Global South. It also highlighted the potential of AI to act as a shared technological language through which countries can exchange knowledge, develop scalable solutions and address public safety challenges collectively.
Why Road Safety Requires Regional Collaboration
The BIMSTEC region is home to nearly 1.8 billion people and reportedly records around 200,000 road fatalities every year. These figures underline the scale of the crisis and the urgent need for coordinated action.
Road safety challenges often differ from one location to another. However, many of the underlying problems are common across countries. These include limited awareness of traffic laws, poor road infrastructure, delayed emergency response, weak accountability systems and a lack of accessible information.
National initiatives remain essential, but isolated programmes may not be enough to address challenges of this magnitude. Technology-based solutions can be adapted to different languages, legal systems and local conditions, making them especially valuable for regional implementation.
The BIMSTEC AI Road Safety Hackathon was built around this idea. It encouraged participants to create solutions that were innovative but also practical, scalable and responsive to the needs of ordinary road users.
Supported by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
The hackathon was organised under the aegis of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India.
The initiative followed an announcement made by CoERS during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi. Its central objective was to bring together young problem-solvers and enable them to use AI for building tools that could prevent accidents, improve awareness and strengthen post-accident support.
Rather than focusing only on theoretical models, participants were asked to address real-world road safety concerns. This ensured that the proposed solutions had the potential to support citizens, government departments, emergency responders and road safety authorities.
Three Real-World Road Safety Challenges
Participants worked on three major problem statements: DriveLegal, RoadWatch and RoadSoS.
DriveLegal: Making Traffic Laws Easier to Understand
DriveLegal focused on creating an intelligent chatbot capable of providing location-specific information about traffic laws, violations and applicable fines.
Traffic regulations can vary between states, cities and countries. Many road users may also find official legal information difficult to locate or understand. An AI-powered chatbot could simplify this process by answering questions in an accessible and conversational format.
Some teams also introduced quizzes and interactive features to help users learn traffic rules. Such tools could make road safety education more engaging, particularly for young drivers and first-time licence applicants.
RoadWatch: Improving Infrastructure Accountability
RoadWatch challenged participants to build a civic platform through which citizens could report road infrastructure problems and track the action taken by responsible authorities.
Potholes, damaged signs, poor lighting, unsafe junctions and incomplete roadwork can significantly increase accident risks. However, citizens often do not know where to report these issues or whether their complaints have been addressed.
Solutions developed under RoadWatch focused on greater transparency. Some ideas included monitoring road budgets, tracking contractors and creating public records of reported infrastructure problems. Such systems could help authorities respond more effectively while improving accountability in road construction and maintenance.
RoadSoS: Strengthening Emergency Response
RoadSoS focused on location-based emergency assistance after road accidents.
Participants explored tools that could connect accident victims or bystanders with nearby trauma centres, ambulance services and rescue contacts. Some teams also used smartphone motion sensors to detect accidents, including situations where internet connectivity was unavailable.
Fast emergency response is crucial during the period immediately following an accident. Technology that automatically detects a crash, identifies the location and shares emergency information could reduce delays and potentially save lives.
Technology Designed Around Real User Needs
One of the strongest aspects of the hackathon was its focus on practical implementation.
The participants were not merely asked to demonstrate AI models. They were encouraged to understand how road users, public authorities and emergency workers would interact with the proposed tools.
The resulting ideas addressed several everyday challenges. AI chatbots could make legal information easier to understand. Smartphone sensors could help detect accidents. Civic reporting platforms could increase transparency, while location-based emergency systems could connect people with life-saving support.
These concepts showed that AI in road safety does not need to remain limited to advanced research laboratories. It can be used to develop simple, accessible and user-friendly tools with direct social impact.
IIT Madras Highlights Research for Social Impact
Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, highlighted the institute’s belief that research must serve society. Road safety represents a clear example of how academic research, technological innovation and public policy can come together to address a major global problem.
CoERS follows an interdisciplinary approach to road safety. Its work combines technology, infrastructure planning, behavioural research and policy development.
Prof. Venkatesh Balasubramanian, Head of CoERS, stressed that road safety cannot be addressed through a single intervention. It requires a systems-based approach in which infrastructure, human behaviour, technology and policy work together.
He also referred to the centre’s DDHI programmes in India, which have demonstrated the value of localised and district-level road safety interventions.
Winners of the BIMSTEC AI Road Safety Hackathon 2026
The top three positions were secured by teams from India.
Cipher won first place, Civics Forge secured second place and Tejas finished third. The winning teams shared a total prize pool of ₹1,00,000.
The winners may also receive opportunities to collaborate further with CoERS at IIT Madras, potentially helping promising prototypes move closer to real-world deployment.
International teams also received recognition. Road Legal from Thailand and Qreators from Nepal were specially appreciated for their innovative contributions.
A Model for AI-Powered Regional Cooperation
The BIMSTEC AI Road Safety Hackathon 2026 was more than a technology competition. It demonstrated how educational institutions, governments and young innovators can work together to address a shared regional challenge.
By involving participants from multiple BIMSTEC nations, IIT Madras created opportunities for cross-border learning and knowledge exchange. The event also showed that some of the most meaningful applications of AI are those that improve everyday life, strengthen public systems and protect human lives.
As countries across the Global South continue to deal with increasing traffic, rapid urbanisation and growing mobility needs, initiatives such as this hackathon could play an important role in shaping safer transport systems.
The solutions developed during the event may still require testing, refinement and institutional support. However, the hackathon has already established an important foundation for future collaboration.
Through the BIMSTEC AI Road Safety Hackathon, IIT Madras and CoERS have shown how AI, youth innovation and regional cooperation can come together to create safer roads for millions.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What was the BIMSTEC AI Road Safety Hackathon 2026?
The BIMSTEC AI Road Safety Hackathon 2026 was an international innovation event organised by the Centre of Excellence for Road Safety at IIT Madras. Held on 16 July 2026, it invited participants to develop AI-based solutions for road safety challenges.
2. Which countries participated in the hackathon?
The event invited participants from India and other BIMSTEC countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
3. What were the main problem statements?
Participants worked on DriveLegal, an AI-based traffic law chatbot; RoadWatch, a platform for reporting road infrastructure problems; and RoadSoS, a location-based emergency response and accident-support system.
4. Who won the BIMSTEC AI Road Safety Hackathon?
Cipher secured first place, Civics Forge won second place and Tejas finished third. Road Legal from Thailand and Qreators from Nepal received special appreciation.
5. What was the prize money for the winning teams?
The top three teams shared a total prize pool of ₹1,00,000. They may also receive opportunities to collaborate with CoERS at IIT Madras.