BHUBANESWAR: To raise awareness on the importance of wearing helmets and following traffic rules, The New Indian Express (TNIE) in collaboration with Hero MotoCorp rolled out the ‘Ride Safe India’ campaign here on Wednesday.
As part of the pan-India campaign, distribution of free helmets and T-shirts along with bike rallies were held at various locations in state capital on the day.
The event kicked off at Rasulgarh Square with Transport commissioner and chairman of State Transport Authority (STA) Amitabh Thakur flagging off two separate bike rallies consisting of over 50 Zomato delivery partners and 100 NCC cadets. He also distributed helmets and T-shirts to the participants.
Speaking at the event, Thakur informed that Odisha is among the top 10 states to record the most number of road accidents. “Out of total road accident-related deaths, at least 60 per cent fatalities involve two-wheeler riders and in more than 90 per cent cases, the victims were found to be riding without helmets,” he said.
The Supreme Court committee on Road Safety has identified Odisha as a focus state. However, the rate of increase in road mishaps in the state has come down. Accidents have witnessed a decline as good quality roads are being constructed in the state every year and new vehicles with enhanced safety features are getting launched, he said.
Appreciating TNIE and Hero MotoCorp for launching a nationwide event to spread awareness on wearing helmets, Thakur said it can help in combating fatalities and serious injuries arising of two-wheeler accidents to a great extent. He also commended the efforts of Zomato and NCC to create awareness on road safety.
At a second meet, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda flagged off a bike rally of the traffic police personnel on the campaign. “Road safety is important for all of us. We carry out enforcement, which is one side of a coin. The other side is education and participation of the community to curb road accidents and fatalities arising out of them,” he said.
The third leg of the campaign was held at Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University) where helmets and T-shirts were distributed students, staff and other participants. Vice-chancellor of SOA University Prof Dr Pradipta Nanda said the initiative of TNIE and Hero will not only sensitise their students and faculty members but also motivate them to spread the message on road safety in the society.
The 'Ride Safe India' campaign has been launched across the country starting from Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.