Akshay Kumar kick-starts government's road safety awareness campaign

Pressing on the often-repeated phrase on the roads “Sadak kya tere baap ki hain” filmstar and road safety brand ambassador Akshay Kumar kick-started his awareness campaign for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Kumar, who is known for his daredevil stunts, said the subject of road safety was close to his heart and therefore he was lending support to the cause as a citizen. “I am promoting this cause as Brand India and not Brand Akshay Kumar.”

The event was organized by the ministry for spreading awareness about road safety for which Kumar was roped in for promotion campaign in February this year.

Kumar, along with filmmaker R Balkhasve shot three videos with an underlying message on road safety, which is sent in a light-hearted way to the viewer.

“I feel that often such messages when sent through documentaries get lost as the viewers usually don’t absorb their essence. With these advertisements we have tried to spread awareness in a light-hearted yet impactful way,” Kumar said.

The subject of road safety is of supreme importance as Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari himself has admitted several times that a lot more needs to be done in that sphere.

As many as 1,46,000 people died in road accidents across the country in 2017 and majority of the road accidents involved two-wheelers, where the victims were not wearing helmets, Gadkari had said in Lok Sabha in February, this year.

However, the central government is yet to get the Road Safety Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha, which has provisions for stricter penalties for offenders.

“While we await the passage of the bill in Rajya Sabha, we are constantly working towards initiatives to spread the message of road safety,” a road ministry official said.

The government has constituted the national road safety council as the apex body to take policy decisions in matters of road safety. The ministry has requested all states and Union Territories to set up state road safety council and district road safety committee and to hold their meetings regularly.