Indian woman leads UK road safety drive

London, January 8

An Indian-origin woman has teamed up with Scotland Yard to promote a new road safety campaign to encourage best practice from motorists and road users in the UK in the memory of her sister killed by a driver, who had been driving with a frost-covered windshield.

Neha Santasalo’s sister Jasjot Singhota was killed in south-east London in January 2017, as she walked along a zebra crossing. She was struck by a driver who set off in his car around 7 am with his view of the road massively obstructed by frost on his windscreen, the Metropolitan Police said.

“It’s too late for my sister whose life was tragically cut short, aged just 30,” said Santasalo in a statement to mark the third anniversary of her sister’s death this month. “My sister’s death was entirely unnecessary and if I can help save one life or prevent serious injuries on the road through this message, I will be proud to have that as part of her legacy and life-long commitment to helping people, and to prevent another family from having to go through what ours did,” she said.

Her message for motorists is that there is no substitute for spending a few minutes before your winter journey to make sure your vehicle is safe and ready for the road.

Simple and affordable purchases like an ice scraper and de-icer spray can make all the difference to keeping you and other people who use the roads safe, she says.

The Metropolitan Police Road and Transport Policing Command’s #ReadyForTheRoad initiative involves officers talking to people about the dangers posed on the roads. PTI