Patna: Students of St. Xavier’s College and St Xavier’s College of Management and Technology got acquainted with traffic rules and safety norms today on the campus through an interactive session that was conducted by Patna traffic SP P K Das.

It was organized by The Times of India group as part of their ‘Drive Patna’ initiative, which aims to create awareness on traffic safety norms and encourage traffic friendly city.

Road rage, traffic bottlenecks, ignorance and violation of traffic rules, reckless and drunken driving, unauthorized parking, lack of enough parking slots in market areas, use of helmets while driving and honking were some of the issues discussed during the session.

Videos were also shown to drive home the point that rash driving can lead to fatal injuries. Placards with creative messages like “Your Phone Is Not A Driving Accessory” and “Some Jumps Can Lead You In Trouble” were also put up.

Students of the institution presented a special petition to the superintendent regarding traffic issues in Digha area which has become a commuter’s nightmare. A road map on a flex was also presented to him for Digha Market and the College More (junction) opposite Alpana Cinema hall.

Das, expressing his happiness on receiving the petition, said he would take action at the earliest and see to it that students do not have to face any problem because of traffic snarls.

In his insightful lecture, he said he was himself pained to see school children suffer in the heat for hours because of jams.

Complaining that he did not have the logistics to cater to entire Patna, he also said that traffic is the last priority for most policemen and even superintendents of police of various districts. But, he said, despite the hurdles, he will try to make some improvements with the limited resources at hand.

He also requested students to volunteer for road safety and provided the WhatsApp helpline number of Patna traffic police — 9234600501. He informed that the WhatsApp cell has become so popular that a team from London plans to visit Patna on July 17 to film a documentary on the use of WhatsApp in an inspiring way by Patna police to save lives.

Also present on the occasion were college rector Jesuit Father Joseph Thadavanal, Principal Father T Nishant, Vice Principal Father Sushil Bilung and Controller of Exams Father Raymond Cherubim.