Srinagar: A symposium and short play on road safety awareness was organized on Tuesday for students in Srinagar, featuring experts from the Traffic Police, Transport Department, and other organizations.
The symposium not only highlighted pressing issues like rash driving and underage driving but also creatively engaged the audience through a short play that wrapped up the proceedings on a thought-provoking note.
The symposium was filled with eager students and teachers. Experts from the Traffic Police, the Transport Department, and other relevant organizations formed a panel to initiate discussions about road safety. The event was structured to include informative presentations, interactive discussions, and a captivating performance that would leave a lasting impact on the audience.
To focus on the issue of minor driving, citing real-life incidents and legal consequences, the irresponsible behavior often displayed by underage drivers was underscored. All departments encouraged students to advocate for stricter enforcement of age regulations highlighting the responsibility that comes with holding a driver's license.
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To complement the serious discussions, a short play was performed by a group of artists which sent a strong message on traffic awareness. The play vividly illustrated the consequences of reckless driving. The symposium and short play proved to be an effective combination of education and engagement, fostering a deeper understanding of road safety issues among students.
The collaboration between experts and students highlighted the shared responsibility of creating safer roads for everyone.
Muzaffar Ahmad Shah, SSP Traffic, Srinagar, said "Our young students, especially boys, need to understand the importance of safety. They are still learning, and many don't even know how to properly wear a seatbelt. Let's show them videos and short films demonstrating the life-saving value of seatbelts and helmets. Practically teaching them how to protect themselves is crucial. Remember, you have families and parents who care about you - please don't risk your lives for fun. In Srinagar district alone, there have been 3,268 cases this year. Even school-level awareness is essential, as minor boys in 7th, 8th, and 10th standards are already driving scooties and cars.
Parents and society members who are not well-educated need awareness too. Let's prioritize safety and protect our lives."
Nasir Ali, a road safety activist, educates students on traffic rules and responsibilities to create a safer society, reduce accidents and fatalities, and promote a culture of road safety awareness.
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"Our outreach, we always target our students, because they are the future of society. And if we make them realize that it is important to follow traffic rules and regulations, and for them, in our presentation, we showed them how accidents happen, what are the responsibilities as road users. Because if we give them direction in this particular thing, where they can become better citizens when it comes to road users. If we can bring this change in them, then you will see that Srinagar will be a better place in terms of road commutes or the accidents we see here. So, this is the medium that can solve many of our problems. If you take care of rules and regulations of traffic, wearing seatbelts, you will see that many changes can happen in society. The aim is to spread awareness and to reduce accidents and fatalities," he said.
One student said, "Today we are having an event with reference to our traffic rules and regulations. Regarding the precautionary measures, a person should take when so ever getting on a road, be it a pedestrian, be it a driver, be it a passenger or someone else. It is very important in colleges to address the event as much as it is important in boys' secondary schools, it is very important for girls' colleges also, because girls also drive. We understand our age youth have adrenaline rush through our blood.
But these awareness programs are trying to help us and cope with a better understanding. And they are teaching us that if we drive peacefully and comfortably we can protect ourselves and our parents."
Another student said, "Today's program called Awareness, it keeps happening. But we have to learn lessons from it. As you know, there have been a lot of accidents in Kashmir. Recently, there was an accident in Hyderabad etc. The victim's age was below the age of 18. Now, it is time that we have to learn the lesson." (with Agency inputs)
