Unique ‘Drive Safe Daddy’ campaign to check drunk driving

New Delhi: A Delhi-based NGO has launched a unique campaign called ‘Drive Safe Daddy’ to check drunk driving and to aware motorists about the need to drive with care and caution, according to a statement issued Sunday.
The campaign involves some students of the Delhi University and they will be interacting with drivers at IGL CNG gas stations across the city. “As the festive season and the Diwali fervour grips the city, roads in Delhi become more prone to accidents and tragedies as a result of drunk driving, which is at its peak during this time of the year,” the statement said.
Prince Singhal, road safety expert and founder of the NGO called ‘Community Against Drunken Driving’, said the campaign has been launched to reach out to the common man to sensitise them on the need of driving safely.
According to Singhal, every year the rate of fatal accidents increases by about 22 -25 per cent during Diwali and the rising liquor sales and the incidence of drunk driving tragedies are enough to prove that fatalities are on a rise.
“The idea behind this initiative is to engage with the drivers and sensitise them on the need and importance of road safety, especially during this festive season,” he said.
The campaign, which is spread over a period of three months to cover both Diwali and New Year festivities, would reach out to over 12,000 drivers of private, public and commercial vehicles, the statement said.
The campaign would involve putting a photoframe on the dashboard of the vehicle where a picture of the drivers’ family or loved ones would be put in order to remind them of driving safely as their family is waiting back at home, it said.
The NGO is also distributing stickers and road safety booklet titled “Drive Safe India” as part of the campaign.
“Drunk driving has become a regular practice in metros like Delhi, especially rising during festivals like Diwali with almost one in every five drivers driving drunk,” it said.
With underage drinking on a high and rising by almost 18 per cent every year, the number of drunk drivers rises by shocking numbers, the NGO said. “The number of drunk driving tragedies has been rising in the capital as Delhi witnesses five road accident deaths per day, the highest among 53 cities in the country, out of which 70 per cent can be attributed to drunk driving,” the statement said.
Delhi reports around 12,000 accidents annually with over 1,875 road accident deaths, out of which nearly 1,500 are due to drunk driving, the NGO said. About 54.1 per cent victims are in the age group of 15-34 years, it said. “Drunk driving is the single largest cause responsible for fatal road accidents.
Nearly 50 per cent of head injuries at trauma centres at night are due to alcohol-related crashes,” the NGO said. Nearly 67 per cent of all night time accidents are due to alcohol-related traffic accidents, it said. (PTI)