Principal Secretary of Home, Prohibition and Excise Department, P. Amudha, on Friday, launched the second phase distribution of three lakh Students Workbook and Faculty Guide for ‘Uyir Kutty Cops’ Road Safety Curriculum, as an effective intervention strategy for prevention of road accidents and fatalities.
The same day last year, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched the Kutty Cop programme, an initiative of Uyir, a Coimbatore-based Non-Government Organisation, to reach out to 1.6 lakh students in 460 schools with intervention strategies at the level of families by preparing children as catalysts of change.
Ms. Amutha joined District Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati; Inspector General of Police, West Zone, K. Bhavaneshwari; and Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore City, V. Balakrishnan, in specifying the effective role of teachers in ingraining the culture of road safety in students for a generational transformation in the mindset of people at the levels of family, community and society.
Fatality rates in Tamil Nadu, in particular, due to self-inflicted two-wheeler accidents were worrisome. Ninety per cent of accidents took place due to the driver’s faults. “Kids learn from what we practice and not what we preach to them,” she said, exuding hope that the initiative by Uyir would bring about an appreciable change.
Mr. Balakrishnan said though the accident rate had reduced by about 10% in Coimbatore city over the last one year, the numbers were still high warranting effective interventions at the level of schools.
The Collector said the initiative had reflected better compliance in wearing of helmets.
Managing Trustee of Uyir S. Rajasekaran said India accounted for the highest number of road traffic accidents in the world. The initiative had taken the proportion of people’s movement on the premise that “If everybody is safe on the roads, then roads will be safe for everybody,” he said.
S.V.Balasubramanian, Trustee, said Uyir was started in 2018 with the aim to make roads of Coimbatore safe for everyone, and that ₹4.5 crore had been spent to install CCTV cameras in traffic junctions in Coimbatore to assist the police identify road-rule violators, and make riders adhere to rules. S. Malarvizhi, Trustee, Uyir, also spoke.
M. Prathap, Commissioner, Coimbatore Corporation; Saravana Sundar, DIG of Coimbatore Range; Sivakumaran, Joint Transport Commissioner, Coimbatore Region; and Badrinarayanan, Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore District, took part.
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