Lessons in road safety from school kids in Doon

If you see children managing traffic across Doon these days, don't be surprised. Around 137 students from different schools of the city have been deployed by Uttarakhand Traffic Directorate under a new initiative where they are being assigned traffic duties across the city. Termed Junior Traffic Force, the students from class five to 12 are being trained in a special workshop where they are not only taught about traffic rules but also are shown videos to help them understand the importance of road safety.
While students are enjoying being a part of such an initiative where they are not only asking people follow to traffic rules but also learning about it themselves, other Doon residents are also appreciating the initiative of the traffic directorate.
'It creates a sense of guilt in people who violate traffic rules'

Kewal Khurana, Deputy Inspector General, Traffic Police, says, "The purpose behind roping in students in this initiative is to make people understand why it is important to follow traffic rules. When children talk to people on road, it creates a sense of guilt in them - they feel that if children can understand and follow rules, why can't they? After learning how to manage traffic at the workshop conducted by us, children are making sure that people are wearing helmet, tying the helmet strap or seat belt properly and not crossing the zebra crossing when the traffic light is red."
Rajeev Rawat, traffic inspector at the Dilaram Chowk where the drive was conducted on Thursday, says, "Students who are assigned this job are working under the supervision of their teachers and traffic policemen in that area. In case, someone doesn't listen to them, we take action against the violator and issue a challan. So far, people have been listening to them and are not even arguing which they usually do when a policeman stops them."
'We eagerly wait for the light to go red so that we can persuade people to follow traffic rules'
Apart from performing their duty efficiently, the students are also enjoying their "new job". Sakshi Bisht, a student of class eight at Police Modern School, "We had studied about these traffic rules in books but never had any practical exposure to it. Through this initiative we are not just learning about these rules ourselves in a practical way but are also making people learn them. It is fun to make people follow traffic rules. Most of the people listen to us and follow what we ask them to do."
'We even stopped a policeman when he was not wearing his helmet'
Not just the common people on road, students are also stopping their relatives and even policemen who are seen violating traffic rules. Ritik Kumar, a student of class 9 at Gandhi Inter College, says, "We are making sure that everyone on road is following rules. Once, I met my relative at one of the traffic signals who was not wearing a seat belt. When I asked him to wear the belt, he laughed and did not take it seriously. But when I explained to him the consequences of not wearing a seat belt along with a senior cop by my side, he understood that I am talking serious business. He immediately wore his seat belt."
Goma, a student of class 8 at Police Modern School, adds, "We even stopped a policeman who was not wearing a helmet while riding a bike. He felt embarrassed and wore his helmet after we asked him to."
Students man traffic in Doon (BCCL/Shikhar Dua)
'It is good to see young students behaving so responsibly'
While students are enjoying their new role of being traffic cops, people in the city are also appreciating the initiative as they think a child stopping them and explaining traffic rules has more impact than any traffic cop doing the same. Rajesh, a businessman from Kaulagarh Road, says, "Many times, we just follow the rule after seeing a policeman on the road. The policemen usually just ask us to follow the rule or issue a challan but these kids are not only asking us to follow traffic rules but also explaining the consequences of not following them. The students telling us things that we already know have a stronger impact, making us feel ashamed of ourselves."

Kriti, a beautician from Haridwar Road, says, "I was driving my scooty without a helmet when a small girl came up to me and said 'aap ke ghar par koi aap ka intezar kar raha hai, please helmet pehan kar khud ko aur unko surakshit rakhe'. Those words made me realise my mistake. I have a daughter, who is nearly her age, who was actually waiting for me at home. I immediately wore my helmet."