Road safety awareness week commences

Visakhapatnam: A number of accidents happen due to lack of awareness about road safety, over speeding and negligence among drivers, said District Collector A Mallikarjuna.

Attending as chief guest for the road safety week celebrations organised under the aegis of the Transport Department here on Wednesday, the Collector said the motorists must strictly follow road safety rules.

He mentioned that the main purpose of the programme is to sensitise people on road accidents and consider steps to prevent the same. Mallikarjuna observed that the measures taken by the police to prevent road accidents were yielding desired results and cautioned that driving under the influence of alcohol was a crime.

Further, the District Collector stated that various measures have been taken to resolve the safety issues suggested in the road safety committee meeting held every month. Black spots were identified across the district and rectified, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Transport Commissioner GC Raja Ratnam said the number of accidents was significantly reduced through special drives. He said most of the road accidents were happening due to use of mobile phones while driving, consuming alcohol and over speeding. The road safety week will continue till January 24.

Later, the District Collector flagged off a helmet rally. Deputy Commissioner of Police Garud Sumit Sunil, MV Inspector Ganesh Reddy, and road safety members participated in the programme.