‘Everyone must practise road safety’

Hanamkonda : During a conversation with Hans Indiarepresentatives at his office in Hanamkonda On Friday, Deputy Transport Commissioner Dr Srinivas Puppala mentioned that awareness programmes are being conducted under the Transport Department as part of Road Safety Month, ob-served every year from January 1 to 31.

He emphasised that the main goal of Road Safety Month is to create awareness among the public and urged everyone to strictly follow traf-fic rules and be cautious to save lives. Despite people knowing basic road protocols, minor mistakes are causing the loss of precious lives in road accidents, he lamented.

Dr Puppala highlighted that road safety is something everyone must practice every time they step out. Pointing out that 470 people in India lose their lives daily in road accidents, he stated that India ranks first globally in terms of road accidents.

According to 2022 statistics, while 2 million accidents occur annually in the United States, resulting in 30,000 deaths, India experienced 5,00,000 accidents in the same period, leading to 1,71,000 fatalities. This translates to one death every 3.07 minutes in India, he stated.

Referring to Telangana’s statistics for 2023, Dr Puppala shared that 22,903 road accidents occurred in the state, causing 7,660 deaths. In the Warangal Police Commissionerate limits, 1,468 accidents were re-ported last year, resulting in 459 deaths and 1,410 injuries. He urged everyone to act responsibly and contribute to preventing road accidents, noting that Telangana ranks 9th in the country in terms of road accident fatalities.

Major causes of accidents:

Dr Puppala identified six primary reasons for accidents, including overspeeding, drunk driving, using mobile phones while driving, work stress, signal jumping, and driving in the wrong direction.

Additional common causes include dangerous driving by the youth, failure to practice defensive driving, and neglecting helmets or seat belts while driving.

He stressed that while governments enact laws, it is up to the citizens to respect and follow them. Learning to respect everyone on the road and adhering to traffic rules can prevent accidents entirely, he said. He also cautioned that pedestrians not taking proper precautions may be struck by vehicles.

Initiatives:

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Hanamkonda District Collector Pravinya, and Warangal Police Commissioner Amber Kishore Jha un-veiled a road safety awareness poster. They also administered an oath to members of the lorry association and private school associations. Ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Konda Surekha, and Seethakka inaugurated a children’s traffic awareness park at Hanamkonda Government High School. Additionally, training programmes for rural youth were planned to spread road safety messages in villages.