“At any cost you should not have any tensions or stress. Make sure that you have checked the vehicle before taking it out of the depot,” was the suggestion for young trainee RTC drivers. The advice came from S. K. Hussain, a RTC bus driver who has an amazing record of not a single road accident in twin cities during 30 years of his service.
“If somebody is persistent and wants to overtake then allow them. You should always be wary of pedestrians and two-wheelers because they are unpredictable,” advocates C. Krishnaiah, another RTC driver from Secunderabad region, who has a clean slate for road accidents, since 30 years.
The bus yard at Ranigunj depot on Friday was jam packed with trainee RTC drivers and their seniors, who were felicitated as ‘best drivers’ in the concluding day of the week long ‘Road Safety Week’. Close to 30 senior drivers from Secunderabad region were felicitated by top RTC officials for their impeccable record of ‘no accidents’ during their service.
“Make sure that you reach 30 minutes before duty to the depot to check the vehicle thoroughly. You should get enough sleep,” suggested Bh. V. Rao, another RTC driver with no accidents for 29 years in twin cities.
During this year, the RTC authorities said that in the Secunderabad region, which has 11 depots, 79 fatal accidents have occurred between April, 2010 and till date.
“Of the 79, 33 are motorcycle riders and 29 are pedestrians. The remaining fatalities occurred when commuters tried to alight from the bus or were indulging in footboard travelling. About 60 per cent of RTC drivers who were involved in these accidents had below five years of driving experience. That’s why young RTC drivers must be very careful,” said RTC, Regional Manager (Secunderabad), A. Purushotham Naik.
Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) Ashok Kumar, Civil Surgeon RMO, Osmania General Hospital, G. Subba Lakshmi, Transportation Expert, Raghava Chary and senior RTC officials were present.
