The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is planning to start a programme to impart training pertaining road safety and traffic norms to students of civic-run schools under their jurisdiction.

NDMC officials said the aim behind starting such a programme is to inculcate a sense of road safety and awareness of traffic rules among schoolchildren so that the increasing number of road accidents could be reduced. The programme is likely to be started by the end of April.

A senior NDMC official said the students of classes 11 and 12 will also be given training on a mobile simulator so that they get a sense of safe driving. The NDMC runs 52 schools.

The training programme will be initiated at the NDMC schools in association with Automobile Association of Upper India (AAUI) as part of the United Nations’ campaign (#SaveKidsLives) to save lives of children.

AAUI president TK Malhotra said the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) will also be a partner in the initiative aimed at reducing road accidents by 50% by 2020. He added that in 2017, about 1,550 people died in road accidents in the city. In 2018, the number shot up to 1,650.

Under the programme, Malhotra said, students will be sensitised about road safety and traffic norms through painting competitions, lectures, street plays and various other mediums so that they can keep an eye on the driver or their parents who drive them to school.

“The NDMC has agreed the proposal, in-principle. Modalities of the plan are being finalised, and in a few days, we will present a detailed plan before the NDMC. The training initiative will continue throughout the year,” Malhotra said.

Malhotra also said that in the beginning a painting competition would be organised at all the NDMC schools where the students would be asked to draw their perception about road safety. “After knowing their perception about road safety, we would train them on the subject. In the programme we would tell them 10 golden rules of road safety through innovative methods,” he said.

NDMC chairman Naresh Kumar said that given the increasing number of road accidents, especially of school students, in the city, it was imperative to impart them proper guidance on traffic norms and road safety. “The aim is to make children aware not only about traffic rules but also the kind of traffic around them. If they know the road safety rules better they can flag the violations either by their parents, driver or any acquaintance,” Kumar said.

Another NDMC official, who is aware of the development, said that under the programme experts will deliver sessions to the students of the schools, street plays, art competitions among others. He also said that video clips regarding road safety will also be played at NDMC’s display board kiosks in the region.

First Published: Apr 01, 2019 05:59 IST