Patna, Jan. 7: Police have chalked out a two-pronged strategy to streamline traffic in the state capital — educate the common people through entertainment and use the whip to tame the offenders.

For the common people, the police have readied scripts of street-corner plays and are staging them across the state capital to make them aware of traffic safety. But for the violators, the cops’ choice is the whip.

While the street-corner plays began as part of the Traffic Safety Week that started on January 2, the police have decided to crack the whip on the violators from January 15.

“The plays will not be confined to the Traffic Safety Week programme. We will continue to stage the plays in various parts of the state capital,” Patna (city) superintendent of police (SP) Ms Kim said today.

“The plays are made in a way to make people understand the importance of maintaining traffic regulations. During the Traffic Safety Week, we staged some plays revolve around menaces such as violating traffic rules and driving under the influence of alcohol. People’s reaction to the plays was quite impressive,” the officer, who also holds the post of traffic SP, told The Telegraph. The SP, however, added that the task of the police would not be over by only holding such plays. “Our motive is to make the people aware of traffic regulations and ensure that they abide by the laws. We will ensure that such plays are held on a regular basis,' she added. Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Alok Kumar also emphasised on making people aware of traffic rules.

“The police are serious and are taking necessary actions. Policemen will soon start visiting various schools in the city and make the students aware of traffic signs. There are many students who either walk to schools or use bicycles. They should be aware of these signs for their safety. We are preparing a plan for this. The fact remains that despite many drives launched by the police, road accidents keep occurring,” he said.

“The parents should also be alert and take care of their wards. Their responsibility does not end once their wards are inside school. There are many people who allow their children to go to school on motorcycles. Many students are often found driving recklessly and not using helmets. The parents should be more responsible,” the SSP added.

Each year, about 12 lakh people die because of road accidents across the world and 50 lakh people get permanently handicapped. “In India, about 80,000 people die because of road accidents every year,” Kumar said.

Police have already announced to act tough on motorists using flashy number plates. Kim has asked the vehicle-owners to change the number plates by January 15.