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What kind of role students have to play in ensuring safety on roads? Do they often get blamed ‘unnecessarily' for not following rules and contributing to chaos on roads?

A large number of students, who actively participated in an interaction with the officials of police and transport departments in two engineering colleges on Monday, organised as part of the ongoing month-long awareness campaign on road safety and traffic rules, admitted that they had an important role to play in road safety but should not be “targeted” by ignoring other groups like auto-rickshaw drivers and APSRTC drivers. They pointed to several issues that merited the attention of the authorities and came out with constructive suggestions to improve traffic scenario in the city.

The programmes were organised by The Hindu in association with the city police and Efftronics at V.R. Siddhartha Engineering College, Kanuru and Potti Sriramulu Chalavadi Mallikharjuna Rao College of Engineering and Technology, Kothapeta in One Town.

Commissioner of Police P.S.R. Anjaneyulu, who addressed the students at VRSEC, said the police were cracking the whip on anybody that resorted to violation of traffic rules and endangered road safety. But in respect of students, the police were more concerned because their age would make them resort to ‘heroics' at the cost of their own lives. “Everything looks fine until one day you meet with an accident that may result if not in death, permanent incapacitation,” he remarked. The Commissioner urged students to apply for driving licence and also use helmets. There should not be any urgency to use a mobile phone while driving, he felt.

During interaction, the Commissioner said nowhere in the world four-lane roads would be available in the heart of the city. Vijayawada would take a long time to evolve as a major city to tackle its own traffic problems.

SAFETY RULES

At the programme held at PSR CMR College of Engineering and Technology, ACP (Traffic) A.V. Ramana and Motor Vehicles Inspector T. Jayapal Reddy dwelt at length on the rules and tips to be followed for safe driving on roads. Mr. Ramana said helmet would be made compulsory from November 15, and girls would not be spared for traffic violations like triple riding. Mr. Reddy said “defensive driving” by following simple safety rules was essential to escape unhurt.

All the officials and the students enthusiastically signed on the huge banners placed on both the campuses with the pledge that “I solemnly swear that I, as a responsible citizen of Vijayawada, shall abide by all the traffic rules and ensure the safety for myself and my fellow citizens”.

Efftronics director B. Sambi Reddy, VRSEC principal K. Mohana Rao, PSR CMR College secretary & correspondent T. Srinivasu, principal K. Sudhakara Reddy, The Hindu Regional General Manager K. Chandrasekaran and others spoke at the programmes.