State-wide Road Suraksha Abhiyan 2026 launched in Telangana

The Telangana State Legal Services Authority launched the Road Suraksha Abhiyan 2026 on January 5 as a State-wide road safety awareness campaign aimed at students, youth and the general public, amid a rise in motor accident cases.

The campaign was formally launched by Justice P. Sam Koshy, Judge of the High Court for the State of Telangana and Executive Chairman of the Telangana State Legal Services Authority, at an awareness programme held at Chinmaya Vidyalaya in Kundanbagh. Posters marking the launch of the campaign were released on the occasion, and a road safety pledge was administered to students and other participants.

According to the Legal Services Authority, the campaign will be held from January 5 to January 9, with district and mandal legal services institutions organising awareness camps in schools and colleges across the State. The focus will be on explaining road safety rules and regulations under the Motor Vehicles Act and promoting safer behaviour among road users.

Addressing the gathering, Justice Sam Koshy said the intention was to observe the week as a road safety campaign across Telangana, beginning from an educational institution. He referred to road accident data for 2025 in the State, which recorded 24,826 accident cases, an increase of 5.6 per cent compared to 2024, with about 6,500 fatalities and 14,768 injuries. He noted that the growing number of vehicles and instances of minors driving were contributing factors.

S.V. Raghavender Rao, Assistant Commissioner of Police, S.R. Nagar, told students that accidents could be prevented by following traffic rules and taking basic precautions. He urged the public not to hand over vehicles to minors and said traffic rule violators were being dealt with by courts of law.

Panchakshari, Member Secretary of the Telangana State Legal Services Authority, highlighted that severe head injuries accounted for many accident-related deaths and stressed the importance of wearing helmets while riding two-wheelers. He also cautioned against using mobile phones while driving and driving under the influence of alcohol.

The awareness programme was attended by the school principals, teachers, students and representatives of the Legal Services Authority. The Road Suraksha Abhiyan 2026 will be conducted across Telangana with the involvement of para-legal volunteers, panel lawyers and staff of legal services institutions.