Bhubaneswar: A ‘Zero Fatality Fortnight’ drive was launched in Odisha on Sunday to raise awareness about road safety and reduce road accident deaths.
The campaign, which began on World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims, will continue till November 30.
The inaugural event, held at Chandrasekharpur Driving Testing Track in Bhubaneswar, was attended by Usha Padhee, Principal Secretary of the Commerce and Transport Department; Amitabh Thakur, Transport Commissioner; and Suresh Dev Datta Singh, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner.
Usha Padhee said the number of lives lost in road accidents has become a matter of grave concern for everyone. She emphasised that the government is making all possible efforts to reduce such incidents. However, she noted, road accidents cannot be minimised through government initiatives alone; they require collective participation. She urged everyone to join the campaign to reduce road accidents.
The objective of the ‘Zero Fatality Fortnight’ is to decrease road accidents and build a society free from them. Programs like this are undertaken to achieve that goal. If all road users—drivers and others alike—adhere to road safety rules, untimely loss of lives can be prevented.
Similarly, both the Transport Commissioner and the Police Commissioner expressed concern over the rising number of road accidents. They stated that awareness campaigns, coupled with strict enforcement, will be implemented to reduce these numbers. Over the next 15 days, Regional Transport Officers across the state will organise various programs in collaboration with district administrations, police departments, and other agencies.
Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur said just as society protected itself during the COVID-19 pandemic by following rules, road accidents have now taken the form of an epidemic. To safeguard ourselves, we must prioritise adherence to traffic regulations.
Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh said investigation into many road accidents reveal that if drivers had not committed errors, those accidents could have been avoided. He stressed that road users are not taking safety rules as seriously as they should and reminded everyone that failing to follow rules makes us vulnerable to accidents.
On the occasion of World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims, tributes were paid to those who lost their lives in accidents, accompanied by a two-minute silent prayer.
An awareness mobile van was launched, which will travel across the state during the Zero Fatality Fortnight to raise public awareness. Students from various educational institutions participating in the event also conducted a road safety march.
