The Uttar Pradesh government is set to hold Road Safety Fortnight in the state from April 22 to May 4.

In line with the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Transport department will organise the Road Safety Fortnight as part of its efforts to reduce road accidents by 50 per cent.

The Road Safety Fortnight will be observed in all districts with inter-departmental coordination. As over-speeding, wrong-side driving, using mobile phone while driving and drunk driving are major causes of road accidents, raising awareness is considered paramount in curbing road mishaps.

During the fortnight, the fitness of all school vehicles in the state will be checked, as well as the medical fitness of vehicle drivers. Students will be briefed on road safety and traffic rules during prayer meetings in all educational institutions and a road safety oath will be administered to them.

In addition, health cards will be mandatory for drivers of commercial vehicles. Overloading will be strictly prohibited at source points by the task force. Furthermore, the Transport department will ensure strict compliance with timely orders issued to reduce road accidents. This way, many lives can be saved.

Furthermore, instructions have been given that meetings of all divisional and district-level road safety committees should be held compulsorily. All divisional commissioners and district magistrates have been asked to decide a day for this. Public representatives will also be invited to the meeting and their suggestions taken regarding road accidents.

Additionally, subject experts and representatives of voluntary organisations may also be invited to the meeting. The committee’s meeting will analyse road accidents and take action accordingly. If any driver receives more than three consecutive challans, the driving licence will be revoked. Despite this, if they continue to violate regulations, their vehicle registration will be cancelled.

Furthermore, regular inspections of the available critical care facilities in the district will also be made so that individuals affected by road accidents receive treatment within the district itself.

Aapda Mitras have also been trained to rescue individuals injured in road accidents. Arrangements will be made to inform them in case of a road accident.