Widespread public awareness can minimise road accident statistics: UP CM Adityanath

Acknowledging the issue of road safety as a challenge, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday emphasised the need for increased public awareness to reduce the worrying rates of fatalities resulting from road accidents.

"We lose more people in road accidents annually than we lost in three years during a global pandemic due to COVID-19," Adityanath said, addressing a gathering here.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday launched and digitally inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various services of the Transport Department at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow.

He pointed out that the safety of every individual on the road is a collective responsibility, urging the public to remain vigilant about road safety.

"We lose youngsters. Families are wiped out. This is a challenge for our society, state, and country. The Centre and the Supreme Court have also expressed concern several times that road safety is a challenge for us," Adityanath said.

Adityanath stressed that through improved coordination and widespread public awareness, road accident statistics could significantly decrease on a national level.

"Remember, if a passenger's life is saved because of your actions, it reflects positively on you. People will begin to associate the Transport Corporation with safe travel. Conversely, if a passenger's life is lost due to your negligence, the reputation of the Transport Corporation suffers, leading to financial losses for you as well," the chief minister said.

Highlighting the need for fit and healthy drivers, Adityanath directed officials to organise medical camps every three months. "Our goal should be to ensure that anyone we employ as a driver, particularly those who handle our buses, undergo regular medical and physical fitness assessments," he said.

Emphasising the importance of bus drivers' vision, the chief minister claimed, "Some drivers are functioning purely by guesswork as they are not able to clearly see what is ahead of them." He reaffirmed that driving a bus carries significant responsibility and that those in charge must prioritise the safety of all passengers.

Stating that the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation has the largest fleet in the country, Adityanath noted that providing such an extensive range of services is an achievement in itself, although it comes with significant challenges.

He described the initiative of providing free bus travel to sisters for three days on Raksha Bandhan as commendable and said that the department should promote such services more effectively in future.

He highlighted the Transport Department's service during critical times, such as the 2019 Prayagraj Kumbh and the 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic, saying that during these periods, when millions of workers and labourers were returning to their home states and villages, the department played a vital role in safely transporting migrants not only to Uttar Pradesh but also to Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, West Bengal, and Uttarakhand.

In the Prayagraj Mahakumbh organised this year, the department controlled the crowd gathered at railway stations and other places and safely transported crores of devotees to their destination, the chief minister mentioned, adding that during every crisis, the transport department has consistently served the state and society as a true partner.

Adityanath urged the transport department to prepare short-term (3 years), medium-term (10 years), and long-term (22 years) plans and instructed that public hearings should be expedited.

Regarding road safety, Adityanath proposed a comprehensive public awareness campaign that would require technical support from institutions such as IIT Kharagpur, coordination with police and other departments, as well as traffic rule education in schools.

He stressed the importance of enforcing strict rules, including wearing helmets and seat belts, taking action against drunk driving and speeding, and increasing awareness through various media channels — digital, print, social, and visual.

Furthermore, Adityanath noted that areas with high accident risks have been identified through an app developed by the state police, which has led to a decrease in the number of accidents at many locations from 18 to just 3 in a month.

Noting that electric vehicles are a crucial medium to achieve the prime minister's net-zero emission target, Adityanath expressed confidence that the Transport and Urban Development Department can not only reduce pollution through village-to-village connectivity and better public transport, but can also create up to 3 lakh new jobs.