Over-speeding, especially on National Highways designed for restricted speed, has been a major cause of the growing number of road accidents, said speakers at a seminar organised as part of the ongoing Road Safety Week at the Krishna District Lorry Owners’ Association (KDLOA), here on Saturday.
“There is an imperative need to check drunken driving, over-speeding, and ‘mobile-driving’ on roads,” said Deputy Transport Commissioner Ch. Shivalingaiah.
AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) Executive Director, Vijayawada zone, R. Nagaraju, pointed to the fact that most accidents occurred either due to the driver’s negligence, problem in the vehicle or because of bad roads.
“A study of the past records shows that driver of the vehicle involved in the accident is responsible in over 90 per cent of the cases. The driver, therefore, must pay extra attention by being alert and behaving in a very responsible way while manoeuvring the wheel,” he said.
Mr. Nagaraju said drivers of passenger transport must be very cautious as they were responsible for several lives.
National Highway Authority of India Project Director G. Sridhar laid stress on three ‘E’s — Engineering, Education, and Enforcement. He said utmost care must be exercised while designing the roads, all efforts must be made to spread awareness about road safety rules and strict adherence to the rulebook must be ensured.
He said people must desist from jumping traffic signals, must not overtake vehicles from the wrong side, and drive within the stipulated speed limit.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Central) R.S. Nageswara Rao said many a time, accident victims were abandoned on roads, unattended by anyone. He said people must be humane and adopt a sensitive approach.
Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry Secretary Chukkapalli Prasad spoke. Students from various schools attended the session.
In the morning, the participants went in a rally from the KDLOA office to the Benz Circle where they formed a human chain. The students distributed pamphlets to the passers by.
On the sidelines, ‘burra katha’ artistes performed a ballet demonstrating the banes of traffic rule violation.
