Date:02/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/02/stories/2009010252620300.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

More steps to bring down road accidents

Staff Reporter

Traffic wing to be set up in all districts

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State government will set up traffic wings in all districts and allocate more personnel to ensure road discipline and bring down road accidents, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said.

Inaugurating the 20th National Road Safety Week 2009 at Government Higher Secondary School, Kamaleswaram, here on Thursday, the Chief Minister said the government had initiated steps to bring down accidents as Kerala and four other States accounted for the bulk of road accidents in the country.

Although road accidents had come down in the State in the last two years, Mr. Achuthanandan said ‘10 deaths a day should be a matter of serious concern.’

The government had decided to increase the penalty for various offences committed by motorists. Driving licence tests would be made more strict and periodic training would be imparted to drivers of heavy vehicles, Mr. Achuthanandan said.

Presiding over the function, Minister for Transport Mathew T. Thomas said motorists were reluctant to follow the rules despite shocking road-accident statistics.

At the function, Minister for Education M.A. Baby read out a road safety pledge. Minister for Food and Civil Supplies C. Divakaran released the ‘Road safety study material’ and Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs M. Vijayakumar released the bylaw of Road Safety Clubs that is being set up in schools.