Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday said road safety is a high-priority area for the Government, which has adopted a four-fold strategy to make our roads safer - by enforcement, education, improvement in road engineering and emergency care.
He was speaking at a SAFE convention organised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) here. He inaugurated an exhibition of new safe technologies for automobiles.
Patnaik said Odisha has scored 66% and is categorised as a ‘high performer’ in implementing road safety measures during an audit conducted by the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety. The committee has also rated some of Odisha’s initiatives as best practices and suggested recommendation to neighbouring States.
He appreciated the SIAM for extending responsibility beyond vehicular engineering. It has been at the forefront in driver training programmes and health checkup drives for commercial drivers, he added.
Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu said that as many as 7 lakh new vehicles are being registered in Odisha every year and are contributing immensely to the State’s economy. But for increasing accidents, this growth is undermined. She hoped that automobile manufacturers would bring in new technology to help make the roads safer for people.
