Dignitaries alongwith bikers during the ‘Women Two Wheeler Rally’ in Kohima on February 5. (Morung Photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | February 5
To create awareness on road safety, a ‘Women Two Wheeler Rally’ was held in Kohima as part of the National Road Safety Month under the aegis of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) Kohima.
Through this rally, women bikers made an appeal to all two wheeler riders to wear helmets and other safety gears at all times while riding. It also propagated the message of ‘Safety on the Road is a Right for All.’
Among the many women bikers, Onenienla Imsong, popularly known as Onen Nenty, Chairman & Managing Director of Kongro Naga on Wheels (KNOW) too joined the rally.
Kohima Additional Deputy commissioner, Lithrongla Tongpi Rutsa flagged off the rally at PHQ junction and it culminated at Razhu Point.
“This year, instead of ‘Road Safety Week,’ we are observing a month-long campaign from January 18 to February 17 with the theme ‘Sadak Suraksha, Jeevan Raksha,’” said SY Sanglee Chang, Regional Transport Officer, Kohima.
Sanglee Chang said that women make up nearly 50% of the population and “therefore the participation of women is vital for the progress of our society, state and the country.” “Women folk need to be empowered and their active participation plays a very important role,” he said.
Every year in India, we lose about 1.50 lakh lives due to road accidents and many more suffer debilitating injuries, he informed. To sensitize on safer road mobility, the Central and State Governments observe ‘Road Safety Week’ every year wherein various activities are taken up for advocacy and promotion.
Road accidents on the rise in Nagaland
The Nagaland Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has meanwhile informed that the rate of accidents in Nagaland is on the rise.
“One of the major factors of accidents can be attributed to rash driving, drinking and driving, sudden turning, wrong lane driving, under age driving and bad roads,” NRSA stated.
A total of 537 accidents occurred, and 52 fatalities from road accidents in the state were reported during 2020 as compared to 486 accidents and 26 fatalities in 2019, according to police data.
“The statistics may be small compared to other states but still contributing to making India a country with one of the highest road-related fatalities in the world,” the NRSA stated. It added that steep terrain of the state makes accidents more fatal in nature.
17 people die every hour on Indian roads
The NRSA in a pamphlet stated that 17 people die every hour on Indian roads.
According to a survey conducted by the Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training, one in every 3 trucks in the country is overloaded and they are to blame for 50% of road accidents.
Nearly 50% of road fatalities would not happened had medical attention been given within the first hour.
Enforcing a drinking and driving law around the world could reduce alcohol related crashes by 20%.
The correct helmet use can lead to a 42% reduction in the risk of fatal injuries and 69% reduction in the risk of head injuries. Wearing a seat- belt reduces the risk of death and serious injuries among the rear seat occupants by 25%.
The pamphlet also stated that divers using mobile phones are approximately 4 times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers not using a mobile phone.
