Chennai: Greater Chennai Police Commissioner A Amalraj on Friday urged parents not to allow or encourage their underage children to drive vehicles. He warned that road accidents could have serious consequences for children and their parents.Amalraj was speaking at an event held at Broadway, honouring police personnel, ambulance drivers, nurses, auto-rickshaw drivers, students and members of the public who helped save the lives of road accident victims by providing timely assistance during the critical “golden hour”.The commissioner said road safety has become a major challenge due to the growing number of vehicles on city roads, including commercial transport vehicles, e-commerce delivery vans and food delivery vehicles. He said the city police in coordination with Road Safety Patrol (RSP) school students, traffic wardens and other stakeholders, has been conducting sustained awareness campaigns to reduce accidents and promote compliance with traffic rules.He advised students to practise effective time management and cultivate the habit of starting early for their destinations to avoid last-minute haste, which often contributes to road accidents. Stressing that roads are meant for safe travel and not adventure, he appealed to motorists to obey traffic rules and wear helmets while riding two-wheelers.The commissioner also urged the public to immediately alert the police if they come across road accident victims. He said people trained in first aid could provide immediate assistance until medical personnel arrive. He assured that the police would extend full support to those who come forward to help accident victims.
