Mysore/Mysuru: To create awareness among the public on road safety and traffic rules and to make Mysuru an accident-free city, Manipal Hospitals and Mysuru City Traffic Police, as part of National Road Safety Week, had jointly organised a ‘Road Safety’ walkathon in city this morning.

City Police Commissioner B. Ramesh flagged off the walkathon from Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple near Palace North Gate.

Dr. Upendra Shenoy, Chief of Medical Services, Manipal Hospitals, said “Every year, about 7.5 lakh people die or are injured in road traffic accidents in India, the vast majority of which are avoidable. More than 1.8 lakh of these people die as a result of RTA. We have witnessed people losing limbs and succumbing to injuries that can lead to various degrees of disability. As part of the ‘National Road Safety Week’, we request pedestrians and commuters to use footpaths and follow traffic rules while driving.”

Over 300 Police Officers and Hospital staff participated in the walkathon which passed through K.R. Circle, Sayyaji Rao Road, Government Ayurveda College, Irwin Road, Nehru Circle, Ashoka Road before culminating at the Town Hall. Traffic Police urged the people to wear helmets, fasten seat belts and drive slowly.

DCP (Crime and Traffic) M.S. Geetha Prasanna, ACP (Traffic) Parashuramappa, Devaraja Sub-Division ACP M.N. Shashidar, K.R. Sub-Division ACP S.R. Gangadharaswamy, N.R. Sub-Division ACP M. Shivashankar, CCB ACP C.K. Ashwathnarayan and others took part.

City Traffic Police will take out a bike rally at 4 pm today.