SAFE meet discusses strategy to minimise road accidents

SAFE 2015 Convention, held in Thiruvananthapuram on April 21, commemorated the road safety initiatives undertaken to minimize casualties and fatalities on Indian roads. Themed “Leapfrogging Road Safety: Way Forward”, the convention saw multiple conversations around various aspects of safety on Indian roads and the way forward with them. The convention was attended by auto industry professionals, representatives from the Indian and global manufacturers and government officials.

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Mr. Oommen Chandy, Kerala Chief Minister, inaugurating the SAFE’s 2015 Annual Convention at Thiruvananthapuram. The others (from left) are Mr. P.K. Banerjee, Vice President, SAFE, and Head Homologation, Tata Motors Ltd., Mr. Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Kerala Transport Minister, Dr. N. Saravanan, President, SAFE, and Senior Vice President – Product Development, Ashok Leyland, and Mrs. R. Sreelekha, Transport Commissioner, Govt. of Kerala

The inaugural session saw top government officials addressing the gathering on various aspects of road safety and the way forward with it. Mr. Oommen Chandy, Kerala Chief Minister, who was the guest of honour on the occasion, addressed the gathering and said: “Road safety remains one of the biggest challenges faced by the nation with such a huge population and such high vehicle density, the lack of proper road safety measures leads to innumerable casualties every year. It is a must that we work in close quarters to ensure high levels of road safety and minimize the number of casualties.”

The session was also addressed by Mr. Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Kerala Transport Minister.

Dr. N. Saravanan, President, SAFE, and Senior Vice President – Product Development, Ashok Leyland, in his welcome address, outlined the various key initiatives of the society.

The first session of the day themed “Safety Vision 2020 – Journey of Safety initiatives” saw presentations made by the transport departments of Kerala and Gujarat. Mr. P.K. Banerjee, Vice President, SAFE, and Head Homologation, Tata Motors Ltd., also put forth his views on the topic as he represented the automobile sector of India. Representatives from the State Traffic Police also expressed their views on the safety vision for 2020.

The second session was chaired by Mr. Nitin Gokarn, CEO & Project Director, NATRIP. The discussion, around “Road Transport Safety Bill – A multi-sectorial Responsibility”, was moderated by Mr. Vishnu Mathur, SIAM Director General. The session saw presentation of the Road Safety Bill which was discussed at length by representatives from the automobile sector, Kerala Transport Department, Traffic Police and the insurance sector.

The final session of the day was on the “Upcoming ITS Technology in improving vehicular safety and road safety”. The session saw addresses being made by the members of the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, Institute of Urban Transport – CDAC, Ashok Leyland and Bosch.

Discussions at the three sessions covered different aspects of road safety and focused on how it is the moral responsibility of multiple stakeholders to ensure safety on the road for vehicles as well as pedestrians. It was unanimously agreed that the sole aim of all the initiatives should be to minimize casualties on the roads and offer a better traffic system to the nation.

Media Partner MOTORINDIA