The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has advised to practice ‘Educate and Enforce’ to promote safe driving and avoid road accidents. He was addressing the gathering at an event to flag off the Car Rally for Parliamentarians organized by the Constitution Club of India to promote awareness on road safety, here today.The Vice President said that he was happy to know that CCI Rally is being organised every year to promote responsible driving and to pay tributes to all those who lost their lives in road accidents, including Ministers and MPs. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families, he added.Shri Naidu said that every year, road accidents claim over one lakh lives and in most cases, victims are youngsters. These tragedies are avoidable if basic precautions are taken, he asaid. Negligence, over-speeding, disobeying traffic rules, drunken driving & bad roads are the reasons for most road accidents, he added.The Vice President said that these rallies are essential to create awareness and promote road safety. He further said that road safety campaigns should be launched in all high schools and colleges. The media should be used to highlight the importance of safe driving and celebrities should also keep speaking about road safety, he added.Shri Naidu suggested to adopt “SAFE” principles to prevent road accidents:
S - Speed in limit
A - Awareness spreading
F - Follow traffic rules
E - Empathise with the victims
The Vice President said that stipulations like wearing helmets and seat belts must be implemented strictly and effectively. Faulty road designs and frequent accident prone zones should be identified and adequate precautionary measures must be taken to prevent road accidents, he said. Scientific management of traffic, smart policing and stringent punishment to rules violators will aid ensuring better behavior on roads, he added.Saying that the mantra to be practiced is ‘Educate and Enforce’ to promote safe driving, the Vice President said that educate the citizens about traffic rules and responsible driving and then enforce the rules in the most stringent manner.Shri Naidu said that it is also important to ensure the safety of pedestrians. Footpaths have virtually disappeared from our bustling cities and there is a need to develop exclusive pedestrian zones and those encroaching the walkers zone should be penalized, he added.The Vice President said that the post accident response system should be robust and very responsive. We should all contribute to make India the country with least number of road accidents in the world, he added.The Member of Parliament and the President of the Constitution Club of India, Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the Member of Parliament, Shri Prasanna Kumar Patasani and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.