New Delhi, January 15, 2026 – In a significant step towards enhancing road safety on India’s busy national highways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has rolled out a pioneering pilot project that delivers real-time safety alerts to motorists about stray cattle presence. The initiative, launched on January 14, 2026, as part of the ongoing Road Safety Month (January 1-31), aims to prevent accidents caused by sudden cattle crossings, especially in low-visibility conditions like fog.

Stray cattle on highways remain a persistent hazard in India, often leading to fatal collisions, vehicle damage, and traffic disruptions. Historical accident data highlights frequent incidents on rural and semi-urban stretches where animals wander onto roads.

This image illustrates the real danger stray cattle pose to highway users, with animals frequently venturing onto busy roads:

Pilot Details: Targeted Corridors and Technology

The pilot is being implemented on two high-risk National Highway corridors in Rajasthan: the Jaipur-Agra and Jaipur-Rewari routes. These stretches have been identified through analysis of past accident records and on-ground feedback as particularly prone to stray cattle movement.

Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in December 2025 with Reliance Jio, NHAI has leveraged advanced telecom infrastructure to enable location-based, real-time alerts. Reliance Jio has upgraded its platform to support nationwide delivery of these warnings.

Key features of the system include:

-Alerts triggered approximately 10 km before entering identified cattle-prone zones, giving drivers ample time to slow down and stay vigilant.

-Delivery via Flash SMS in Hindi, followed by a voice alert.

-The SMS message reads: “Aage awara pashu grasht kshetra hai. Krupaya dhire aur sawadhani se chalein” (Translation: “Stray cattle-prone area ahead. Please drive slowly and carefully.”).

This telecom-driven approach provides a low-cost, scalable solution without requiring extensive new hardware like roadside cameras or sensors on every stretch.

Here is a visual representation of NHAI’s road safety efforts, including advisories for animal-related hazards:

Broader Context and Future Plans

Stray animals on roads contribute significantly to highway accidents in India, particularly in states with large rural populations and open grazing practices. The pilot aligns with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ (MoRTH) multi-pronged strategy, which includes stricter speed enforcement, intelligent traffic systems, cattle-proof fencing, and underpasses in vulnerable areas.

NHAI officials emphasized that the alerts are especially crucial during foggy winters and low-visibility periods when drivers may not spot animals until it’s too late.

The performance of this pilot will be closely monitored, including alert effectiveness, driver response, and reduction in related incidents. If successful, NHAI plans to scale the initiative to other stray cattle-prone zones nationwide, potentially integrating it into broader safety ecosystems.

This project builds on previous humane efforts, such as constructing cattle shelters along highways in partnership with concessionaires, to address both road safety and animal welfare.

As India continues to expand its highway network under ambitious infrastructure goals, innovations like this telecom-based alert system demonstrate a practical blend of technology and policy to make journeys safer for millions of commuters. NHAI remains committed to zero-fatality highways, and this pilot marks a forward-thinking response to one of the country’s unique road safety challenges.