BHUBANESWAR: A seminar on traffic safety and awareness titled ‘Suraksha’ was held at KIIT University here on Sunday. The seminar was attended by students of Capital High School, SAI International, Kendriya Vidyalaya I, DAV Chandrashekharpur, KISS and KIIT International schools.
Addressing the seminar, ACP Traffic, Bhubaneswar Jatindra Panda said the city youths are involved in a majority of accidents.
“This is a disturbing trend as most of them are educated but do not obey the laws. The youngsters do not have the basic idea about possessing driving licence, insurance and safety rules,” he said. Most of the drivers do not bother to use dippers in the night nor they turn off the headlights at traffic signals, which leads to many mishaps, added Panda.
Speaking at the occasion, Regional Transport Officer, Bhubaneswar- II Sanjay Behera said, youths especially students must be utmost careful when they ride a two-wheeler on city roads. “The students carry a load of assignments and examinations which distracts attention from driving. Besides, the youths should keep away from competitive driving due to peer pressure which is a dangerous combination on roads,” he said.
Biju Mutthu, a transportation engineer turned road safety expert from Bangalore, urged the students to be responsible, respect traffic rules and inspire elders to follow the same.
“As many as 75 per cent of road accidents in India occur due to irresponsible human behaviour. In a minute, four accidents occur on Indian roads and half of these are due to distraction and flouting safety norms,” Mutthu said.
Addressing the seminar, CEO, Vivekanand Hospital Dr Sudhir Das said, rescuing an accident victim during the golden hour after an accident can be precious. Co-commuters should be empathetic to arrange transport or call the ambulance service so that accident victims can be rushed to the nearest hospital soon. ”Road safety is not pain but pleasure and adherence to traffic rules should be incorporated as a habit,” Das added.
An interactive session was conducted during the seminar, where students from various schools posed questions to the panel and clarified their queries on road safety and traffic norms. The session was followed by an elocution competition in which 21 students participated and the best performers were felicitated by the guests.