Halt, take a break and proceed!

Anakapalli: It is time to halt, take a break and proceed further if you are driving for long hours.

To shake off the sleepiness while driving, especially during nights, Anakapalli police have initiated a 'face wash' programme.

With most of the road accidents happening at the flick of a second and sleepiness appearing to be one of the main reasons, the district police decided to organise the drive.

As a part of it, Anakapalli district Superintendent of Police P Gowthami Sali is considering special measures to prevent road mishaps.

Visible policing on NH-16, vehicle inspections at various spots and junctions have been carried out and challans are issued to the violators. In addition, drivers have embarked on a 'face wash' programme to prevent accidents caused due to sleepiness while driving at night.

Traffic police opined that the initiative would give desired results in preventing accidents, particularly along the national highways.

In line with this, Anakapalli (Rural) CI G Srinivasa Rao is educating motorists on traffic rules like advantages of wearing helmets, fastening seat belts and the impact of drunk driving and overloading of vehicles, among others.

During nights, the patrolling staff on the national highway would stop trucks and lorries arriving from far-flung areas between 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. and appeal to the drivers to wash their faces before they resume their onward journey. The programme is being conducted particularly near toll gates.

Regional Transport Officer RCH Srinivasa Rao said road accidents are more likely to occur during wee hours as there is a larger scope for the drivers slipping into sleep even without their knowledge. Many accidents had occurred in the past due to the same reason, the official reasons. According to the police, more than 40 vehicles ply on the Anakapalli-Visakhapatnam highway every minute. This includes drivers from other states driving heavy vehicles without taking adequate breaks. Many of them fall asleep even before they realise, causing accidents.

In some cases, negligence of the drivers takes away lives too. "To bring down such incidents, we have initiated the face wash programme as per the orders of the SP. Going forward, it will further be intensified," said L Suresh, Sabbavaram SI.