Alappuzha: The district police has come up with a sensitisation programme, Subhayathra, to prevent deaths of pedestrians. District police chief S. Surendran said a touring exhibition would soon go to every nook and corner with the message. Local-level committees under concerned station house officers will conduct periodical follow up for the programmes. He found various reasons including road alignments, lazy road crossings, shortage of streetlights, and lack of awareness on traffic rules, for increasing accidents. The primary intention of the project is to take the awareness on traffic rules to the grassroots.
“A vehicle equipped with facilities of screening short films relating to the accidents would reach public places like bus stops, bus stations and main junctions,” he said. “A street drama team will tour along with the vehicle to make people aware of consequences of an accident in a family.” He said that the district required pedestrian-friendly road design. Roads need to have widened sidewalks, street lighting and lower vehicle speeds to make them safer. All authorities including National Highway Authorities and local governments should ensure sufficient lightings at the narrow stretches. “We think grassroots sensitisation can play a vital role in improving safety, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists,” he said.
The police would create resource persons to propagate traffic rules and methods of trauma care. “We have found many lose life due to the hassle of rescuers after accidents,” he said. “It’s equally important to make people understand how to handle the situation.” It'll train commuters and vendors along the highway on trauma care for accident victims during golden hours. Alappuzha has witnessed 27,409 accidents since 2009 killing 3,528 and injuring 30,556.
