Ponnam Prabhakar launches Road Safety Month in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: Transport and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Thursday launched the Road Safety Month programme, to be held from January 1 to January 31, at the Khairatabad transport office. The objective is to prevent road accidents and reduce fatalities across the state.
State records 26,000 accidents, 8,000 deaths annually
Addressing the launch, the minister said the state records around 26,000 road accidents and nearly 8,000 deaths every year, with about 22 people losing their lives daily. As part of the inauguration, he personally placed helmets on officials and released road safety posters, vehicle stickers and road safety awareness books for students.
Posters were affixed on autorickshaws to promote road safety awareness, while students held placards and participated in outreach activities.
Focus on speed, drunk driving, wrong routes
Transport department officials said overspeeding, drunk driving, travelling in the wrong direction and using mobile phones while driving were the main causes of accidents. They were asked to visit every school to spread awareness on traffic rules, stressing that saving even one life makes the effort worthwhile.
The Road Safety Month is being carried forward this year with the slogan Sadak Suraksha, Jeevan Suraksha, focusing on the four Es—education, engineering, enforcement and emergency response. Officials were directed to identify and remove accident-prone black spots.
Multi-department coordination, stricter enforcement
The minister said the programme was not limited to the transport department and the state road transport corporation, and called for coordination among district collectors, police, roads and buildings, education and other departments to conduct month-long activities in every district.
Transport officials were instructed to visit schools and obtain written assurances from parents on adherence to traffic rules. Pointing out that the state has about 1,000 transport officials overseeing nearly 1.80 crore vehicles, he urged citizens to practise self-discipline. Licences of rule violators were being suspended, he added, and warned officials against delays in setting up traffic children awareness parks.
RTC honours safe drivers, eyes zero accidents
The Road Safety Month was also launched at the RTC Kala Bhavan, where drivers with accident-free service spanning 30 years were honoured. The minister said the corporation has about 20,000 drivers, 10,000 buses, carries 60 lakh passengers daily and covers 39 lakh km, calling it a lifeline.
He assured support to address RTC workers’ issues and said efforts should be made to clear old dues and move the corporation into profits by 2026. Reducing RTC accidents to zero should be the goal, he said.
Fitness checks, technology, training stressed
Special Chief Secretary Vikas Raj said vehicle fitness must be checked regularly and modern technology used to regulate commercial vehicles. He called for periodic training and medical tests for heavy vehicle drivers. A district collector said 100 black spots had been identified and removed in Medak district within a year, and urged all districts to follow suit.
RTC Managing Director Nagireddy said the corporation records 0.07 accidents per one lakh km, with about 600 accidents annually. Measures include driver training at every depot, breath analyser tests, regular medical checks for staff and frequent fitness inspections of buses. He said RTC pays about ₹80 crore annually towards accident insurance, noting the long-term hardship faced by families of those killed or permanently disabled in road accidents.
The programme was attended by Special Chief Secretary Vikas Raj, Transport Commissioner Ilambarti, RTC Managing Director Nagireddy, JTCs Chandrasekhar Goud, Ramesh and Shivalingayya, DTCs, State RTA member Naveen and district RTA Suresh Lal.
