Road safety seminar hosted at Shillong institute to combat rising accidents in NE

Shillong: The North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Shillong, organised a seminar on road safety on Dec 22, aimed at raising awareness about the rising incidence of road traffic accidents, particularly in the northeastern region.Addressing the gathering, Padma Shri awardee Prof. Dr BKS Sanjay, president of AIIMS, Guwahati, and Guinness World Record holder, expressed serious concern over the growing number of road accidents in India, including Meghalaya. He highlighted that nearly 90% of road accidents result from human negligence and are largely preventable.“Rash driving is the major contributing factor. It is a behavioural issue that can be corrected through awareness, education, and disciplined driving practices,” Sanjay said.He said Meghalaya’s road accident fatality rate is significantly higher than the national average, even surpassing some other hilly states, and cited recent multi-casualty incidents to stress the urgent need for preventive measures.Sanjay urged both the public and authorities to act decisively.“Strict adherence to traffic rules, responsible driving, strengthened traffic education, awareness programmes, and strict enforcement of road safety laws are crucial to saving lives,” he said.Road safety activist and orthopaedic surgeon Dr Gaurav Sanjay also spoke at the seminar, emphasising the human cost of traffic injuries. He stressed that simple measures such as wearing helmets and seat belts can drastically reduce both the likelihood and severity of injuries.Sanjay lauded the NEIGRIHMS administration, particularly Prof. Bhaskar Borgohain, head of the department of orthopaedics, and Prof. Star Pala from the department of community medicine, NEIGRIHMS, for providing the platform to share insights on road safety.