Date:30/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/30/stories/2008063059180500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

300 teachers take part in road safety programme

Staff Reporter

— PHOTO: S. THANTHONI

TRAINING MATTERS: School teachers undergo a drill session on road safety organised by Tamil Nadu Police Traffic Wardens on Saturday at Doveton Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Vepery.

CHENNAI: Around 300 teachers from various city schools participated in a road safety patrol training programme here on Saturday. The programme, organised by Tamil Nadu Police Traffic Wardens’ Organisation, was aimed at inculcating safe road practice among schoolchildren in an effective manner.

The organisation is a second line traffic management unit under the Chennai Traffic Police and is engaged for the past 30 years in spreading the message of road safety among schoolchildren.

Each RSP unit of the school is taken care of by a traffic warden in charge of the school with the help of RSP coordinators or RSP teachers.

The teachers were provided pamphlets and booklets at the programme on Saturday. They underwent drill sessions and had discussion on how best to improve road safety. The Traffic Wardens Organisation is also looking to include road safety as part of curriculum in schools, the organisers said.

City Police Commissioner R. Sekar, who met the media on Sunday, said efforts were being taken to decongest roads near schools. “We send one or two policemen to every school area but we have manpower constraints. We are also looking at other methods such as staggering school timings as is being done in New Delhi,” he said.