JAIPUR: With the aim of improving road safety in the state and reducing the number of road accidents, Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister, Rajasthan, recently announced that the state government will soon come up with a proper strategy to cut down road accidents in the state by 50 per cent. Though he said that a proper meeting of all relevant departments will be convened soon to discuss the intricacies of the strategy, he did mention that one of its aspects is going to be inclusion of road safety education in the school curriculum.
While noting that the overall condition and connectivity of the roads in the state have marked remarkable improvement, they have also led to an increase in the number of road accidents. This is because travelers now drive at higher than usual speeds on these roads. This, in turn, has led the government to realise the pressing need for all the relevant authorities, such as police along with other appropriate departments, to put together and execute an effective awareness campaign for road safety. He added to this end, authorities should collaborate with NGOs and voluntary organizations and put together seminars and other interactive activities to raise awareness about road safety in various districts across the state.
In addition to this, he also noted that another critical factor for effectively addressing the issue of road safety is how people learn to drive. To this end, Gehlot highlighted the urgent need to set up good driving institutes at both divisional as well as district headquarters.