Kerala: Students to get road safety lessons

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Around 140 traffic smart classrooms will be started, in each assembly constituency in the state, to create road safety awareness among children, said transport minister A.K. Saseendran. Film star Mohanlal inaugurated the first among these classrooms at St Mary’s Girls High School, Pattom, on Monday. “The classes use audio-visual aids to teach traffic norms. One school in each constituency will get the facility which will be used to train all schoolchildren in respective districts,” the minister said.

He said the actor had personally appealed him to proliferate the programme using road safety funds. The duo also inaugurated Save Our Fellow Traveller (SOFT) programme through which around 1,200 volunteers were given training in rescue and trauma care. “Having driven and travelled around 45 lakh kilometres on Kerala roads. I had got opportunities to attend three-four accident cases. We need to shed our ego before entering roads to save the life. After all, there is no reset button for life,” Mohanlal, the brand ambassador of road safety programmes in the state under the aegis of Shubhayathra.

ADGP B. Sandhya reminded that the road is a common property used by all. “We should learn to share it systematically and judiciously. Or else, it would be like pouring ink on the same white shirt we all use,” she said. The volunteers received training from trauma care expert S. Stanley. They were handed over reflective jackets and hard hats for emergency interventions. Every year, a volunteer who saves most life and a police officer who works most on road safety awareness will be given special awards, the minister said.  State police Chief Loknath Behera, Thiruvananthapuram Range IG Manoj Abraham and city police commissioner Sparjan Kumar were present.