PANJIM: Given that nearly 80 percent of accident victims are youth, the Education department has launched a special initiative to ensure that traffic rules that are usually ignored are followed.
As part of the School Complex Scheme, the north educational zone has introduced a Road Traffic Discipline and Awareness campaign in partnership with the Transport department to inculcate road-related safety measures among students.
The training program in the talukas of Bardez, Sattari, Pernem and Bicholim, involves participation of teachers from the primary to the high school. “This is with an intention that the teachers subsequently impart the knowledge to their students, and it eventually spreads to other citizens,” deputy director and President of North Zone Level School Complex Committee, Bhagirath Shetye told Herald.
Maintaining a distance of at least five metres between vehicles, avoiding walking on the left side of the road are some of the safety precautions being taught by RTO officer Minesh Tar. As of now, around 150 teachers from Bardez and Sattari have been trained on traffic discipline while the remaining two talukas will be covered soon.
“A majority of pedestrians do not realize that walking on the left side of the street is a wrong concept. They should instead walk on the right side so that they understand the traffic from both sides,” Shetye said.
