Chandigarh traffic police holds Road Safety Awareness Session for Swiggy delivery partners
Chandigarh, December 26
As part of its ongoing road safety initiatives, the Chandigarh Traffic Police on Thursday conducted a traffic awareness session under the Swiggy Delivery Safely Initiative to promote responsible riding and adherence to traffic rules among delivery partners.
The programme was organised under the leadership of Sagar Preet Hooda, IPS, Director General of Police, U.T. Chandigarh, with guidance from Pushpendra Kumar, IPS, Inspector General of Police, U.T. Chandigarh, and Sumer Partap Singh, IPS, Senior Superintendent of Police (Security & Traffic). The event was held under the close supervision of Lakshay Pandey, DANIPS, DSP/Traffic (R&D) Road Safety.
A dedicated "Road Safety Awareness Session" was conducted at the Traffic Auditorium, Sector 29, Chandigarh, exclusively for Swiggy delivery partners. More than 110 delivery executives participated in the session, which aimed to raise awareness of traffic regulations and encourage safe, disciplined road behaviour.
Senior representatives from Swiggy, including Shiva (Regional Manager), Rahul Thakur (City Manager), Jitender Singh (Operational Manager), Rohit Mehta (Operational Manager), and Nitin Jain (Area Manager), were present. Trophies were awarded to Deepak Sahu, Dewakar, Paramjit, Ajay, Jaspal, and Nitin for their participation in a road safety quiz, followed by the administration of a road safety pledge.
Parkash, DSP/Traffic Administration, and Parvesh Sharma, Inspector and in charge of the Children Traffic Park, also attended the programme. A road safety awareness team comprising SI Bhupinder, HC Alkesh, HC Rahul, Senior Constable Rajiv, Constable Pardeep, Constable Narender, and volunteer Jagdamba conducted interactive sessions with the participants.
The delivery partners were educated on key traffic norms, including the mandatory use of BIS-certified helmets with ISI marks, maintaining lane discipline, using indicators, avoiding overspeeding, and strictly following road signage and traffic signals. Emphasis was also laid on switching off vehicle engines at red lights to reduce pollution, promoting cycling, and refraining from encouraging beggars at traffic junctions.
Participants were advised to affix reflectors on helmets, jackets, and vehicles to improve night-time visibility. Special emphasis was placed on yielding to emergency vehicles, including ambulances, fire brigades, and police vehicles. They were also sensitised to the role of Good Samaritans, including the legal protections and awards under Section 134A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, as amended in 2019.
The session further emphasised the importance of parking only in designated areas and avoiding parking on roads, footpaths, cycle tracks, or at road turns. Awareness was raised about the dangers of mobile phone usage while driving, underage driving, unnecessary honking, and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Chandigarh Traffic Police stated that such initiatives are part of its sustained efforts to improve road safety and achieve the vision of zero road accidents in the city.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good step by the traffic police. But will it actually change behaviour? The real pressure comes from the delivery apps' strict deadlines and ratings system. Unless companies change their algorithms to not punish riders for safe driving, such sessions might just be a formality.
The point about switching off engines at red lights is excellent for reducing pollution. We all should follow this, not just delivery partners. Chandigarh's air quality needs everyone's effort. Also, glad they talked about yielding to ambulances – a critical lesson for all road users.
As someone who orders food frequently, I appreciate this. I often worry about the rider's safety when I see the "10 minutes away" notification during peak traffic. Maybe customers can also play a part by being more patient and not giving low ratings for slight delays.
Respectfully, while the session is good, the police should also focus on the terrible condition of many city roads and the lack of proper bicycle lanes they are promoting. Safety is a two-way street – better infrastructure is needed alongside awareness. The focus on ISI-marked helmets is spot on though.
Bhai, 110 partners is a start, but there are thousands! Hope they scale this up rapidly across all sectors. The quiz and trophy idea is nice for engagement. More power to the traffic police for this proactive approach. Let's aim for that zero accident vision! 🙏
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