Uttar Pradesh to kick off 'Road Safety Fortnight' on July 17

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 4 : The Uttar Pradesh government on the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will run a Road Safety Fortnight from July 17 to 31. This was done in an effort to reduce the number of road accidents and raise public awareness of traffic rules, a press statement said.
The statement mentioned that during this fortnight employees who arrive at work without a helmet for the second time in a department will not be given entry into the office and marked absent.
A meeting of the District Road Safety Committee will be organized as part of the Road Safety Fortnight where a district road safety action plan will be prepared and sent to the Transport Commissioner by the end of the fortnight, the statement said.
In addition to this, a 15-day action plan has also been prepared. The campaign will be organized on the basis of the action plan of the departments related to road safety.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed the Road Safety Fortnight to be organized on the basis of the action plan of the departments related to it, including, Transport, Home, Public Works Department, Medical and Education Department, the statement said.
Compared to last year, there has been an increase of 5.5 per cent in road accidents and 4.2 per cent in the number of deaths caused by it, the release mentioned. Moreover, it was also observed that road accidents have claimed more lives of two-wheeler drivers. Hence the campaign has been started in order to pay attention to the decrease in traffic accidents and raise awareness among the public.
A 15-day action plan has been prepared to celebrate Road Safety Fortnight. Public representatives like MPs and MLAs will be invited to the inauguration ceremony, the statement said. Officers from the relevant departments will also be participating in the event, the statement read.
The office bearers of buses, trucks, auto unions, and NGOs related to transport will be called, and their opinions solicited, it mentioned. Moreover, after prayer, students will be administered an oath to follow the rules while receiving information about road safety.
Taking stern action against the employees who disobey traffic rules, the Uttar Pradesh government has issued instructions that all personnel arriving at the office premises of all departments without wearing helmets will be warned publicly, the press statement said.
The release also stated that drivers will receive training in safe driving and first responder skills in all 75 districts with the assistance of the Save Life Foundation.
A workshop related to basic and advanced life support will be organized for medical and paramedical students by the Department of Surgery and Orthopedics of the Medical College on behalf of the Department of Medical Education, it said.
Moreover, traffic police personnel doing excellent work will be felicitated. School bus drivers will also get their eyes and health conditions evaluated. Online training will be provided to basic, secondary and higher education teachers through Project Management Consultancy. In schools, Rangoli and poster competitions will be held to raise awareness on road safety, the press release stated.