GUWAHATI: A road safety awareness campaign was flagged off today morning in the busy Ganeshguri locality of Guwahati in Assam. The District Transport Officer of Kamrup (R&L) Gautam Das was at the lead of this campaign.
The state government has already taken strict measures to prevent any untoward incident during the days of the new year celebration. To that end, the transport department along with the state's traffic police has stepped up its checking procedures. Every day many checkposts are set up across the capital city as well as in several parts of other districts to prevent drunken driving, rash driving, seat belt and helmet violations and several other violations of road safety.
During today's campaign, Gautam Das interacted with local people, drivers of city buses and several journalists to spread awareness about road safety. It campaign started in the morning hours and continued until almost noon.
Some of the key instructions given out by the department include caution against drunken driving and overspeeding on roads. People travelling in four-wheelers need to use seatbelts and those on two-wheelers must use helmets. There must be no overloading of vehicles both in terms of luggage as well as passengers. The use of mobile phones has been prohibited while driving.
Officials from the transport department also distributed pamphlets to passers-by to make them aware of the rules. One of the leaflets mentioned the duties of different people on the road. While two sections mentioned the duties of commercial and private vehicles respectively, the third section mentioned the details of the duties of pedestrians on the road.
Another pamphlet given by the officials included the fines and punishments for different violations on the road. Drunken driving attracts a fine of Rs 10000 while seat belt and helmet-related offences will be fined Rs 1000. Fines for driving without proper documentation and other violations have also been mentioned in the pamphlet. If the offence is done by a minor, his or her parents will be considered liable and he or she will face action according to Juvenile Justice laws.
Another key point mentioned in the document is that any law enforcement personnel found in violation of the mentioned rules will face double the punishment compared to other people.
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