Hyderabad: In a creative road safety campaign during the Ganesh Festival, the Rachakonda police shared a tweet on Thursday, September 12, featuring an eco-friendly Ganesh idol wearing a seatbelt.
This imaginative post aimed to raise awareness about road safety while promoting eco-conscious celebrations, blending tradition with modern safety messages.
The police department’s post on X read, “Even Lord Ganesha wore a seatbelt. Why don’t we? Let’s honour both tradition and safety by buckling up every time we’re on the road (sic).”
Highlighting the importance of wearing a seatbelt, a traffic police official told Siasat.com, ” Seatbelts are a fundamental safety measure designed to safeguard individuals during a crash. When you don’t wear one, you’re risking severe injury or death. In an accident, unbelted passengers can be thrown from the vehicle or collide with the interior.”
“It’s crucial to buckle up every time you drive or ride. This simple action can be the difference between life and death. For your safety and the safety of others, use seatbelts while driving,” the official said.
In Telangana, the fine for driving without a seatbelt is Rs 1,000, with offenders potentially required to perform community service. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act increased the fine from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000 to enhance driver awareness and reduce road accident fatalities. In addition to the financial penalty, police can also seize the vehicle or suspend the driver’s license, further reinforcing the importance of seatbelt use to improve road safety.
Netizens react
After the post was circulated on social media, one X user criticized it saying, “Why are you using only religious figures for this message? Why not include symbols from other religions as well to encourage everyone to follow traffic rules?”
Another commenter noted, “Show some respect to the idols and don’t use them for advertising purposes. You are IPS officers, so act with dignity. Would you accept it if the MCH department used religious symbols for their ads?”
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