In response to relentless road accidents plaguing South Goa it is learnt that the Colva and Margao traffic police have initiated a unique awareness drive to promote road safety. Equipped with megaphones, police personnel ventured into the coastal villages to educate residents on traffic rules, an initiative aimed to instill responsibility among drivers regarding safe driving practices.
While this seems like a novel idea, it must be said that the police personnel may not be able to carry out this drive on a regular basis or for a considerable period of time. The traffic cops have other duties to carry out like controlling the movement of the traffic and ensuring that roads-users maintain traffic discipline by penalizing the violators of traffic rules. A long-term method of reminding the vehicular drivers of the various rules would be to put up permanent posters and hoardings along the roadside.
Pictorial hoardings of aftermath of a road accident can go a long way in reminding the drivers of the consequences of a road accident just like cigarette packets carry pictorial warnings of smoking. This will ensure road users drive carefully and follow the traffic rules out of fear of meeting with an accident. When there are several hoardings of advertisements dotting the roadside, why can’t the authorities concerned put up posters and hoardings to promote road safety?
