Road safety: Halls to screen two documentaries

BHUBANESWAR: From Saturday, every moviegoer in the twin cities will first learn some valuable lessons on road safety, drunken driving and accident rescue issues before enjoying the film. The Commissionerate Police has directed all the cinema halls in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to screen two short films on road safety and traffic rules during each show daily. The three-minute films ‘Ehsaas’ and ‘Afsos’ produced by the International Road Federation in association with the Forum for Prevention of Road Accidents (FPRA) are in Oriya language based on drunken driving and quick shifting of victims to the hospital respectively.  As per the Commissionerate police notification, the films would be screened across all the eight cinema halls in Bhubaneswar and six in Cuttack. They would be screened just before the start of the main movie and during interval. “We feel the films would prove to be an effective medium in drawing attention of the viewers. The films highlight the fact that everyone is vulnerable on the road and when responding to an accident, we must not forget that something similar could also happen to us or our loved ones. Both the films are Censor certified and extremely educative in nature,” said a traffic official. The initiative of the Commissionerate Police and the IRF-FPRA would first be implemented here and gradually extended to other parts in a bid to raise awareness on road safety issues. Road accidents have gone up substantially in the recent years, thanks to the proliferation of vehicles propelled by people gaining affluence and affordability. According to the Crime Branch Report, last year around 9,395 accidents took place in Orissa. As many as 3,773 persons lost their lives while 11,510 persons were injured. Accident deaths have also marked an increase in the twin cities with 2010 accounting for 274 deaths and 2011 for 299. The fatality rate is higher in Orissa with 39.9 deaths per 100 accidents whereas the National figure is 30.1, FPRA secretary Bikash Mohapatra said. While focusing on drunken driving, the films emphasise on the golden hour, during which treatment will most often prevent death. The Supreme Court has also passed a judgment that anyone can shift accident victims to a hospital without waiting for legal formalities. Hospitals are also bound to treat such cases immediately without starting legal applications, Mohapatra said.