'Road Safety is About Respect For One Another'

“It is not carelessness that causes accidents, it is the attitude of the drivers,” said R Dinakaran, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), addressing students of Anna University as part of road safety week celebrations here on Tuesday.

Stating that in 2012 more than 16,000 deaths were due to road accidents in Tamil Nadu, Dinakaran said that attitudinal change of road users can go a long way in ensuring road safety.

Citing examples of foreign countries where driving protocols are strictly followed by all, the Joint Commissioner opined that Indians can also emulate such discipline with a change in attitude. He said that respect for one another and discipline among road users can help avoid accidents. “There are lot of aggressive drivers with a short fuse, and young drivers seeking thrill and speed, but our roads cannot take the muscle of these high-performance bikes,” he advised.

The students were enthralled by the renowned traffic cop’s simplicity and listened  to his anecdotes intently. He displayed the exuberance of a person who is committed to his job. He proudly stated that the Chennai traffic police had saved 182 lives in fatal accidents that happened in the city in the past year and encouraged the students to contribute to road safety by conducting awareness campaigns and volunteering in road safety initiatives.  M Rajaram, Vice Chancellor of Anna University, lauded the traffic police department for their work in the city contributing to the decrease in road accidents. M S Srinivasan, vice-president of Automobile Association of India, also addressed the gathering and called for raising traffic violation penalties on par with those observed in countries like the US, UK and Australia.

C Chellappan, Dean, College of Engineering and M Sekar, president of Alumni Association, CEG were also present.