Drug-driving crackdown: Let's do what it takes to make roads safer and save lives
In a sobering precursor to this month's Road Safety Week, police – in the space of two days – released the names of 15 fatal crash victims from incidents dating back to the end of January.
When you consider this is a mere fraction of the 121 road deaths from
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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
Odisha CM launches 55 road safety projects worth Rs 576 crore
BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday launched 55 road safety programmes and projects worth Rs 575.77 crore covering all the districts of the state. Inaugurating the Zero Accident Day and Road Safety Week programme here, the chief minister said accidents not only affect individuals and families but also have a significant impact on the state's economy. He said road accident-related deaths have become a significant problem in India with 75.2 per cent of such fatalities caused by speeding. 'Drivers often forget the golden rule of driving: 'Speed thrills, but it also kills'. Wrong-side driving, drunk driving and using mobile phones while driving contribute to accident-related deaths. People should be cautious and avoid these mistakes to ensure safety of their lives as well as others,' he said. The Zero Accident Day campaign will continue till June 28. It is being conducted in collaboration with IIT-Madras. On this occasion, Majhi launched 11 automated driving testing systems (ADTS) in various districts with an investment of Rs 24 crore. He also launched the second phase of the Driving Electronic Enforcement to Save Human Lives (DISHA) project worth Rs 215 crore, which will cover 485 km of national and state highways.
NZ Herald
18-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Drug-driving crackdown: Let's do what it takes to make roads safer and save lives
In a sobering precursor to this month's Road Safety Week, police – in the space of two days – released the names of 15 fatal crash victims from incidents dating back to the end of January. When you consider this is a mere fraction of the 121 road deaths from
NZ Herald
16-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Road Safety Week: Crash survivor urges smart driving after near-fatal accident
Papera said he remembered talking with his colleague about how he was going to spend his first pay cheque. Instead, his plans to splurge on a new jacket at Hunting and Fishing were thwarted. As Papera's co-worker turned onto a rural Glenbervie road on the outskirts of Whangārei, he was blinded by sunstrike. Unbeknownst to him, a cattle truck and trailer had been approaching and smashed into the left side of the vehicle. Papera bore the brunt of what should have been an unsurvivable crash. He has no recollection of the days and weeks that followed, but information from others has supplied him with the basics. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, a broken jaw, a punctured lung, facial fractures, a fractured T1 at the upper part of his spine, broken ribs, a fractured sternum and intra-oral injuries. Papera was rendered unconscious, and doctors placed him in an induced coma. Family and friends were unsure he would survive. Instead, almost four years later, he is walking, talking and eating – all things he had to learn to do again. 'It was hard because I was happy as I made progress, that really sort of cheered me up, but then at the same time, I did get sick of it because I just wanted to be back to normal.' Papera said that within a few weeks, he was planning his return to work. But the process would turn out to be much more challenging and prolonged than he could have expected. 'Once I recovered a bit more, I think I did realise how bad it was and how lucky I am,' he said. The shocking images of the accident that police shared with him also brought it home, he said. Papera said his experience inspired him to become a road safety advocate. It took so much effort from family, doctors and more to bring him to where he was today, he said. 'It's not worth going through it.' 'I don't want to see other people go through the same thing, because it's not nice. It's not nice for anyone.' Papera believes it is the fact that he cannot remember the crash that he is able to not only be in a car, but drive around. But that doesn't stop him from being a 'pretty cautious' driver, he said. His message to people this Road Safety Week is to be a smart driver. 'There is a lot to it. And when you've got so many risks and so many dangers, and then you put other stuff like drugs and alcohol or don't wear your seatbelt - you're just making those risks so much higher.' Papera is now 20, and he's desperate to get back to work. At the moment, he is still unable to return. But he said it was the drive of wanting to get his life back that kept him going. 'You definitely need an end goal.'
