Amaravati: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a Road Safety Council Meeting here at the camp office on Monday giving a green signal to the Road Safety Fund and other key initiatives.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister directed the officials to set up a driving school in each parliamentary constituency partnering with APSRTC, where both public and RTC can utilise these facilities for training purposes. He emphasised on establishing Trauma Care Centers in 16 new medical colleges ensuring that one in each district falling in line with the new districts. He instructed the authorities to provide emergency services in a state-of-the-art manner using the advanced technologies and to bring a rehabilitation center in Visakhapatnam so that the injured can recover. He also stressed on improvising the trauma center in Tirupati Bird Hospital.

In regard to road safety, the Chief Minister ordered the authorities to go with clear lane-marking on the roads and told them to bring up special lanes for bikes and four wheelers. He also asked the officials to focus on placing speed limit sign boards and curbing the illicit liquor sale in roadside dhabas to reduce the number of accidents.

In this context, the officials informed that 1190 black spots have been identified across the State and also rectified 520 spots, including the 78 black spots on the National Highways that are being operated by R&B. The authorities also stated that 108 ambulances are playing a key role in saving the lives of those at risk, by admitting them in the nearby hospitals during the Golden Hour.

Speaking on driving license policy, the Chief Minister directed the authorities to review the policy and roll out effective measures to be taken for bringing down the number of road accidents. He said that district-wise committees should also be set up to review road accidents and the steps to be taken.

During the meeting, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy gave a nod to set up a lead agency on road safety including experts from the Police, Transport, Health and Road Engineering Departments. He also agreed to set up a road safety fund and provide good support to those who bring road accident victims to hospitals. He directed the Police to take appropriate steps by accessing live updates on accidents using the iRoad app. Also he asked the transport officials to set up an automated FC testing on PPP mode and further stressed on the measures to be taken for availing insurance cover for road accident victims.