The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : `Safety first' YSR leads from the front

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 21, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

`Safety first' YSR leads from the front

Special Correspondent

Arrives in Assembly with seat belt on, complies with High Court observation

SETTING HIGH STANDARDS: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy arriving at the Assembly, seat belt fastened to spread the message of safety in the light of increasing number of road accidents on the State's highways. — Photo: P.V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy arrived in the Assembly in his bullet-proof Tata Safari on Tuesday with a seat belt slung across his shoulders.

Dr. Reddy even posed for photographers with his seat belt in a symbolic compliance with Monday's observations by a bench of the High Court that drivers of four-wheelers and occupants in the front seats stick to this safety stipulation.

Helmet rule

Talking to reporters, the Chief Minister welcomed the court's observations on enforcing the helmet rule by two-wheelers all over the State, wearing of seat belts in four-wheelers and on banning the use of cell phones while driving.

Dr. Reddy said that there was need for improving road sense of drivers to reduce accidents, which had reached alarming levels in the State. Road accident deaths in the State touched the 11,000 mark in 2004. Nearly 56,000 people were injured in accidents, most of which were caused by human error.

Dividers

With a view to making the State accident-free, all national highways passing through the State were being provided with dividers.

Roads in Hyderabad and Secunderabad were being widened, he said.

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