EMN
DIMAPUR, JUNE 23
The ‘traffic awareness week’ hopes that began today hopes to make people aware of traffic rules to lead to an uninterrupted driving experience without traffic congestion.
The move has been initiated by Dimapur Police with the objective to instill discipline in driving and mainly to create “awareness. Traffic police personnel were seen across the city handing out brochures and issuing stickers with “ I obey traffic rules, Do you?” printed on them.
When Eastern Mirror caught up with traffic police at the junction having their hands full. By then they distributed around 2000 brochures and stickers. Traffic Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Tulaka K.Sumi lamented that even after repeated notice to drivers’ reckless driving, riding without helmet and violating traffic rules continue to prevail in the city.
As a first step to put the message across that such careless driving attracts punitive action under the Motor Vehicle Act and central Motor Vehicle Rule the brochures contain information to educate drivers to drive with a civic sense . The officer hopes the initiative will translate to safer streets in Dimapur.
However the bane of driving in Kohima or Dimapur is the lack of parking space for which there seems to be no solution yet, except to aggressively improve public transport facilities so fewer and fewer individuals want to own their own cars.
According to Global Status Report on Road Safety by World Health Organization (WHO) India leads the world in road accident deaths where 1,42,485 of people killed in India in a year and one accident occurs every minute. The main causes of accidents are due to speed, drunken driving, low use of helmets, seat belts, lack of enforcement and bad roads mentions WHO in their report.
The root causes of accidents are all applicable in our context and makes us very vulnerable to accidents. As a result, Traffic DSP appeals upon drivers to co-operate and have a civic sense while driving and emphasizing on this awareness week he stated that the “awareness week” is mainly to inculcate drivers of the consequences for reckless driving and educate them of safe driving co-operatively with the traffic personnel.
