Mangaluru : The Dakshina Kannada Regional Transport Authority, the District Administration, and Police Department, jointly organized 26th National Road Safety Week here on Thursday, January 22 at Police Samudayabhvan in mangaluru.

Inaugurating the celebrations, chairman and managing director of Corporation Bank S.R. Bansal said children were the best messengers to take home the road safety campaign.

Earlier, hundreds of school children participated in an awareness jatha.

Deputy Commissioner A.B Ibrahim said merely imposing fine would not be sufficient. Driving Licence should be restored only after the offender undergoes the corrective class, he said.

Stressing the importance of pedestrian safety, Mangaluru City Police Commissioner S. Murugan said India had a long way to go in this regard. Road safety should be imbibed as part of life, he said.

Regional Transport Officer Afzal Ahmed Khan explained the significance of the campaign. He said during the week the department would organise various awareness programmes on road safety.

The district administration felicitated Charmadi Hasababba, Sanam Nazeer Puttur (for helping road accident victims), J. Abdul Rawood, Nelson Pereira (for helping Mangaluru Traffic Police to regulate traffic) and Belur Murugan (for accident-free driving).

Mangaluru South MLA J.R. Lobo suggested involvement of traffic volunteers and strict enforcement of law, would help improve road safety.