Nat’l Road Safety Week: CP thrust on awareness among young commuters  

Bhubaneswar: The 30th National Road Safety Week commenced Monday and will be observed till February 10. On the occasion, several programmes were conducted across the state and awareness vehicles christened ‘Sadak Suraksha Rath’ were flagged off.

“Careless driving & unsafe use of roads are the major reasons for accidents. Awareness & adequate precautions can play a significant role in reducing accidents. At the start of National Road Safety Week, I urge road users to join the drive to make our roads safer to save valuable lives,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik tweeted.

Twin City Police Commissioner Satyajit Mohanty said, “Our main focus is to spread awareness among students and teenagers in schools and colleges. We have also planned programmes with auto associations, taxi associations and drivers. The Commissionerate Police is ensuring all steps to bring down the number of deaths occurring due to road mishaps.”

In Cuttack, DCP Akhilesvar Singh said, “Following traffic rules is a mindset. Don’t just follow rules because you are scared that you will be caught on CCTV.”

Odia cine actor Anubhav Mohanty flagged off the vehicle in the Silver City that had important road signs and an announcement system. He said, “We should honour traffic rules and cooperate with Commissionerate Police. Following traffic rules will not only save your life but also others.”

The awareness Raths have signage like ‘Wear helmet and other riding gears’, ‘Wear bright noticeable clothes while riding,’ ‘Be a cautious rider’, ‘Wear seat belt’ (even as a passenger), ‘Don’t ignore traffic rules’, ‘Don’t over speed’, ‘Don’t drink and drive’, ‘Don’t use mobile phones’ written on them.

It may be mentioned here that recently a few celebrities of Odia movie industry participated in a road safety awareness programme where they distributed roses to commuters and asked them to obey the rules.