Punjab Transport Minister Razia Sultana on Monday launched a month-long National Road Safety Awareness campaign to make the roads safer for commuters in the State.

Under this, the State Transport Department will organise the road safety awareness campaign for a month for the first time instead of a week, said Sultana after a high level meeting.

Besides, directing the officials to sensitise people about the traffic rules to save precious human lives from accidents, the Minister urged the people to take special care and precautions to ensure safety of the most vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, children, elderly and the differently able persons while driving or riding motor vehicle.

To be a Good Samaritan always help road side accident victims and never use a mobile phone while driving, she added.

The Minister also expressed concerns over the high death rate in road accidents in the state.

Instead of enforcing the law strictly, people should voluntarily obey the traffic rules to save lives. District administrations should seek the help from NGOs to manage the stray cattle roaming on roads to avert the road accidents, she added.

Giving instructions to all the concerned departments to make the campaign a mass movement, she prioritized the works and activities to be done by the Police Department, Local Government Department, Health and Family Welfare Department, PWD, Punjab Mandi Board, Higher Education Department, School Education Department, SDMs and RTAs.

The activities would include holding health checkup camps for drivers, checking of driving test tracks, awareness camps, seminars or lectures for students and checking traffic and street lights.

Transport Department officials apprised the Minister that 50 percent of the compounding fees or penalties collected by the Police and the Transport Department have been replaced with a Non-Lapsable Road Safety Fund to properly implement the road safety measures.

There is a Non-Lapsable Road Safety Fund of Rs 40.52 crore for the procurement of road safety equipment and implement various road safety measures.

The breath analyzers, barricades, laser speed guns, CCTV, car body cutters would be procured and supplied to enforcement agencies.

Apart from this, the Chief Engineer, Roads and Bridge Development Board (PRBDB), has been appointed as the Chief Engineer Road Safety to resolve the issues related to road safety expeditiously and effective coordination with the traffic police.

The Transport Minister also informed that as many as 391 black spots have been identified on National and State Highways so far, out of which 32 black spots have been inspected by the Chief Engineer, PRBDB.