Bhubaneswar, September 2: The Odisha government has prepared a blueprint to develop Bhubaneswar and other cities as ‘Ideal Road Safety Towns’ to reduce road accidents and fatalities.
The plan was discussed at a road safety meeting at the Crime Branch Conference Hall in Cuttack, jointly organised by the Crime Branch, State Transport Authority (STA), Common Action for Road Safety, TRAX and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India.
Officials noted that over 66 per cent of road accident deaths in Odisha involve people aged 18-45 years. Helmet and seat-belt violations and overspeeding were identified as major causes of fatalities.
The initiative will follow the 4E approach — Education, Engineering, Enforcement and Emergency Care. It proposes stronger road safety awareness in educational institutions, digital campaigns and simulated driving training; identification of accident-prone spots and improved road infrastructure; stricter traffic enforcement and wider use of speed cameras; and faster ambulance and medical response during the critical ‘golden hour’.
Senior police and road safety officials, including ADGP Soumyendra Priyadarshi, IGP Sarthak Sarangi, IGP Niti Shekhar and DIG Madkar Sandeep Sampat, attended the meeting.
