Police to conduct road safety seminars in schools, colleges

To reduce accidents and make city roads safer, the Navi Mumbai traffic department will conduct classes in schools and colleges during this academic year.

Though the department has conducted seminars, workshops and demonstrations in schools and colleges in the previous years, these were held only during road safety week.

This is the first time classes will be held throughout the year in educational institutes. The decision was prompted by the increasing number of accidents in the city,

Arvind Salve, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) said the volunteers of a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) will help them implement the programme.

He said, “Lack of awareness is one of the biggest problems. A majority of the violators are young bikers and motorists. It is therefore important to instill a sense of responsibility in them.”

According to Salve, around 75% of Navi Mumbai accident victims are pedestrians and bikers. “Even educated people violate traffic norms. Hundreds of employees of a private company illegally cross the Thane-Belapur road from the Airoli railway station every day. They do not use the skywalk,” he said.

“We have asked our officials to take strict punitive measures when they find people violating the traffic norms,” he added.