‘No More’: Taking traffic lessons from the departed

As Chennai-based Thozhan, who represent the movement in the city, was busy with Cyclone Gaja relief work in November, the NGO has decided to commemorate the occasion on December 29 by organising ‘No More’, an initiative to remember the road traffic victims and to understand the importance of road safety.

“This time, we want to ensure we keep it to the point. Therefore, we are collecting pictures and bios of accident victims and will be showcasing them in a poster. This will ensure immediate impact. The number of accident victims or injuries is nearly doubling every year. People participating in the event will take a pledge to that they would make sure they change five people’s sense of traffic awareness this year,” says M Radhakrishnan, organiser of the campaign.

He added that the feedback from the public will be sent to the police Commissioner’s office. “The problem is two-fold: local enforcement neglecting the infrastructure development, expired licenses still operate and so on, whereas the public spend so much money on the quality of the car, but don’t spend enough attention to their driving sense.”

To be held at Besant Nagar from 4.30pm to 6.30pm on Saturday, ‘No More’ will have volunteers holding up posters of departed victims and are inviting anyone from the audience, who had lost a loved one to come stick a photo onto their board, as well. “This will signify the importance of the occasion and inspire more people to be disciplined on the roads,” Radhakrishnan said.

Thozhan team is popular for the efforts to sensitise the public on traffic rules. Under the campaign ‘Accident-free nation’, their volunteers visit six different parts of the city every Thursdays to educate commuters.