Accident stage-managed to create awareness on road safety

A Correspondent

Hailakandi, April 27: To make roads safer and to spread the message of road safety, District Transport Office (DTO) in association with traffic police and health personnel, stage-managed a road accident involving two-wheelers at a busy traffic intersection in Hailakandi town at peak hours on Friday.

Observed as part of the ongoing 29th National Road Safety Week, the accident involving the two-wheelers coming from opposite directions looked so real that people rushed instantly to rescue the injured persons who were riding the two-wheelers without helmets. Traffic and police personnel also rushed to the scene of the accident with Mritunjoy 108 ambulances blaring sirens reaching the spot within a few seconds to transport the blood-oozing victims to the hospital.

The accident was executed so perfectly that passerby, pedestrians and motorists could not comprehend that it was ‘pre-planned’ by the DTO, traffic, police and health personnel.  Minutes after the stage-managed accident, announcement by traffic personnel rent the air about the frightful consequences when people drive without helmets and use mobile handsets resulting in fatalities claiming thousands of lives. Leaflets and pamphlets urging the people to observe the rule of the road were distributed by the DTO and traffic police personnel.  DTO, Nripen Kalita, the man behind the whole show, said the accident was staged-managed to drive home the message how wearing helmets and shunning mobile phones while driving can prevent mishaps and save lives. “The idea behind it all is to make people aware how important it is to observe traffic rules and regulations for their own safety as well as that of pedestrians and motorists on the road,” said Kalita.

Kalita said the ‘helmet law’ has been strictly enforced across the district with imposition of penalties and other measures. As part of the road safety awareness campaign, a procession will be brought out on April 28 in which students, teachers, transport operators and general public with placards and banners in hand will take part in it.  A free eye check up camp for drivers was conducted by the DTO in association with health services on Wednesday.

 The Hailakandi district administration’s enforcement of the unique ‘no helmet, no petrol’ rule, about a fortnight ago, has met with instant success. Apart from this, the administration also banned the plying of illegal vehicles, overloaded trucks and vehicles with protruding iron roads and other lethal objects. Deputy Commissioner cum Chairperson, District Road Safety Committee, Adil Khan has put into effect a slew of new traffic management strategies to minimise road mishaps that are on the rise across the district.