District Collector Narayana Bharat Gupta on Saturday launched the 31st National Road Safety Week celebrations at Nagaiah Kalakshetram here. The event was jointly organised by the police and transport departments.
Inaugurating the event, the Collector said that the road safety awareness week would be celebrated from January 18 to 24. “It is alarming that casualties due to road accidents are on the increase each year. In most accidents, it is observed that violation of road safety norms such as ignoring wearing of seat belt and helmet remains the prime cause. Apart from this, road users should concentrate on road safety signals and duly follow the rules and regulations,” he said.
The youth should be in the forefront in observing the road safety norms, he added.
Superintendent of Police S. Senthil Kumar said that road accidents would devastate families robbing them of their loved ones and happiness. “Wearing the seat belt and helmet would go a long way in reducing the number of casualties. Over-speeding, reckless driving and overloading should completely be avoided,” the SP said. People should think of starting out a little bit early so that the element of hurry could be avoided, which in turn would reduce road accidents.
Road crash fatalities
Deputy Transport Commissioner M. Basi Reddy said in 2019 1,693 road accidents occurred, with 840 casualties mostly involving two-wheeler riders without wearing a helmet. The APSRTC drivers should compulsorily follow the guidelines and stop the buses on the left side at the railway crossings.
Earlier, the Collector launched the Road Safety Awareness drive at the venue. The rally passed through the arterial junctions of Chittoor. Students, youth, police and transport personnel in large numbers took part in the event.
