RTC drivers told to focus on safety

Six drivers felicitated for achieving accident-free records

P.V.S.S .Narayana, driver of Maddilapalem Depot, being felicitated by RTC Executive Director A. Ramakrishna, Vigilance DIG Abraham Lincoln, at a function in Visakhapatnam on Monday. Regional Manager Y. Jagadeesh Babu and Prof. Mohan Venkatram are seen. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

The importance of safety consciousness among drivers to prevent road accidents and bring down the fatalities on the roads was underlined by the speakers at the inaugural of the Road Safety Week celebrations organised at the Maddilapalem Depot of APSRTC here on Monday.

Director (Vigilance and Security) of APS RTC Abraham Lincoln said drivers should make discipline a habit to prevent accidents. He felt that awards would increase the responsibility of drivers further and motivate them to strive for zero-accident service. He underlined the need for drivers to be alert all the time while they were behind the wheel. Executive Director (Vizianagaram Zone) A. Ramakrishna said the corporation was according top priority to passenger safety. He recalled that most of the major accidents near Nellore, Palem, and Bangalore in the recent past involved private buses. These incidents have revived the faith of passengers in RTC as a ‘safe and reliable alternative’ and they were once again flocking to the corporation buses.

Pilot project

Mr. Ramakrishna said smoke meters were introduced on an experimental basis to prevent deaths due to fires in buses. Based on the success of the pilot project, it would be extended to other buses. Special training was being given to drivers and mechanics to prevent accidents. B. Mohan Venkat Ram of the Institute of Transport Management, Andhra University, said it was unfortunate that despite the technological advances road accidents were on the rise. Prof. Venkat Ram said the number of vehicles on the road, which was 48,000 in the city in 1985, has now gone up to 8 lakhs. The number of junctions increased from 37 to 150 during the same period but the width of the roads was more or less the same.

Motor Vehicle Inspector A.H. Khan appealed to the drivers not to drink and drive. He suggested the use of breathe analysers before the driver starts his bus besides conduct of random checks en route. Regional Manager Y. Jagadeesh Babu presided.

In all, six drivers were felicitated for achieving accident-free records. At the regional level: Y.N. Rao and S.S. Narayana (both Simhachalam Depot) bagged the first and second place in the region while M.L. Narayana (Maddilapalem Depot) bagged the third place in the region. Three drivers of Maddilapalem Depot: P.V.S.S. Narayana, S.R. Babu and K.P. Raju bagged the first, second and third prizes at the Maddilapalem depot level. The depot managers, who bagged awards for low accident rate and for upkeep of buses, are: Ch. Ramakrishna (Simhachalam Depot) and H. Divya (Waltair Depot), P. Udayasree (Anakapalle Depot) and V. Praveena (Paderu Depot).