Staff Reporter
Panaji
Stating that there is an urgent need to treat road safety with the same seriousness as public health emergencies, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that at least one person dies in a road accident in the state every day.
“We are afraid of and careful about Covid-19, but we are not afraid of accidents,” he said, urging citizens to change
their mindset.
Sawant inaugurated a driver sensitisation tab lab at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) near KTC bus stand in Panaji. The programme, titled ‘Wrong Side of the Road’, has been rolled out in nine RTOs
across the state.
The initiative introduces a 45-minute mandatory sensitisation module for all individuals applying for a new driving licence or for renewal of the licence. The module includes video-based learning designed to provide an experience to the drivers on the dangers of reckless and inattentive driving.
The project, developed under a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, aims at building a culture of accountability, road awareness and responsible driving practices.
The tab labs will be equipped with digital interfaces. “Education is the key to change. By making this module a requirement, we hope to create more responsible drivers and bring down the accident rate significantly. Watching this video will be mandatory for all the new drivers and those who come for licence renewal without which licence will not be issued,” Sawant said.
Transport department officials confirmed that the labs are operational in all nine RTOs and feedback from initial participants has been positive.
