Metro Plus
Chennai
Hyderabad
Road wise
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Road safety is a collective as well as an individual responsibility
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THE TALK on traffic is usually focused on road accidents and bad traffic. One of the slogans of the Traffic Safety Week being celebrated this week by the Hyderabad City Traffic Police is - "Road Safety - think about it". That says it all.
Observing speed limits, traffic light regulations and overtaking in the right manner are the three issues we are aware of but do not usually see as being directly associated with our safety on the roads.
Tail-gating
It is not very uncommon for us to frantically apply brakes when the vehicle that we are tail-gating suddenly comes to a stop. And of course, if our brakes are not good or if we are driving too close, the inevitable crash takes place.
Rear view mirror
We have only two eyes and unfortunately both of these are in front. But, traffic is everywhere. To add to our misery, our neck does not rotate 360 degrees to assess how the drivers around us are behaving. This is why there is a rear view mirror (sometimes two) in our vehicles, which should be positioned properly for it to serve its purpose. It should be positioned such that we can see the traffic behind us without losing sight of our way ahead and without having to look over our shoulder.
Registration number
Do we really understand the need for clearly displaying the registration number of our vehicle in front and back of our vehicles? Have we ever imagined what would happen if our vehicle is stolen? It would be difficult to trace the vehicle if the number plate is not readable. Or what if a driver is unconscious after a road traffic crash (accident) and there is not enough information about identity of the driver? The police can also use vehicle registration number to get the address at which this vehicle is registered from the Road Traffic Authority in order to establish the identity of the driver.
There are many excuses for accidents but do we have one for ignoring our safety and that of the others on the roads? Let us remember that traffic is made up of real people and not vehicles, and traffic accidents involve death. `Road Safety - think about it'.
RAKHI DANDONA
ASCI
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Metro Plus
Chennai
Hyderabad
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