In India, more than 13 lakh people have lost their lives in preventable road accidents, whereas more than 50 lakh people have been seriously injured or disabled in road crashes in the last ten years. What is worrisome is the fact that such gruesome incidents are constantly on the rise; the reason being little or no traffic knowledge and awareness about traffic norms. The Maharashtra State Police Department has therefore decided to conduct road awareness campaigns in various districts and cities under their jurisdiction.
Palghar
Over the past few months, several cities have been witnessing road safety awareness campaigns conducted by local cops. On August 23, 2018, the Palghar Police decided to conduct an awareness campaign with the help of NCC cadets from local schools and colleges. The campaign was conducted under the supervision of Sub-Divisional Police Officer(SDPO), Vikas Naik.
“Road safety awareness is a topic of concern since incidents of road accidents have drastically increased. It is important that the citizens are well-informed about road safety measures and rules so that the number of accidents can be controlled. If rules are followed, the number of accidents will be reduced and traffic problems will also be solved,” said a police officer attached to the campaign.
The awareness rally at Panchbatti Naka route towards Hanuman Chowk, Jagdambe Hotel to local police stations got a green signal from the Palghar SDPO. The rally was attended by local college students with a banner bearing an important message on road safety.
Pune
The Pune City Traffic Police carried out a bicycle rally to create awareness about road safety among the citizens. The rally was part of the several programmes organized during a two-week-long road safety drive. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) – Rajendra Bhamare, led the rally which was held in Sangvi, Pune.
“The Police, 27 members of a private company, and 11 members of a bicycle group participated in the rally. We requested citizens to follow traffic rules, drive safely on the roads and avoid using cellphones while driving,” said Police Inspector – Kishore Mahaswade.
Mumbai Police -TwitterRocks
Mumbai Police’s social media team has come up with an interesting way to reinforce the importance of wearing a helmet. They did soby using an image of the fictional superhero, ‘The Hulk’ who is seen wearing a helmet. The text on the image reads, “No matter how strong you are, never forget to wear a helmet.” The image of the green character, who is never seen wearing either a shirt or a helmet, was taken from the movie – Thor Ragnarok.
Tom Cruise is a trained professional performing breathtaking stunts in his movies. To prevent his fans from following his stunts, the Mumbai Police twitter handle was used to teach road safety lessons. The tweet says, “Not an impossible mission for us to penalise you if you are spotted trying these stunts on the roads of Mumbai! That’s the job. No hard feelings. #SafetyIsPossible #WearAHelmet #SayNoToRashDriving.
Traffic Awareness -Bollywood Style
Bollywood superstar – Akshay Kumar, is also associated with the Road Safety Awareness campaign. He appeared in a campaign that advises road users to follow the rules on the roads. Flouting traffic rules leads to accidents, most of which prove to be fatal. The video was released just a day prior to India’s Independence Day celebration,2018. The video shows Akshay Kumar stopping a vehicle entering a ‘No Entry’ road. He goes onto explain to the driver how it can be unsafe to drive on the wrong side of the road, or enter a one-way road.
Wrong-side driving is a major problem in India. People with inthe city limits, and even on the highways, take the wrong way or one-way roads to save time and distance. It creates huge jams on the roads and on the highways, causing major accidents.
It is illegal to drive on the wrong side, and if caught, cops can issue a fine to the driver. However, this does not stop road users from going the wrong way and create chaos. It is always necessary to ensure that everyone follows traffic rules at all times.
Guidelines for Safe Driving Within and Outside City Limits
1 Always maintain lane-driving. Switching lanes abruptly can lead to accidents at high speeds and worsen traffic jams.
2 Follow speed limits. They are set accordingly after assessing road conditions. Ignoring them lead to accidents.
3 Always maintain a safe distance from the car ahead of you. Use the three-second rule to maintain a gap in order to avoid bumping into the car ahead of you.
4 Never overload a vehicle. The tyres can burst and the car can go out of control. Also, the braking distance increases with extra load.
5 Slow down whenever you are crossing populated areas on the highways. The number of pedestrians increases on such stretches; therefore, driving at high speed can be dangerous and fatal.
