A former Motor Vehicles department (MVD) official’s zeal for road safety is evident from the fact that he has conducted over 8,000 awareness classes across Kerala, through his professional life, and post-retirement.
The soft-spoken and affable G. Adarsh Kumar, who is currently Director, SCMS Institute for Road Safety and Transportation (SiRST), was also recipient of the Kerala Chief Minister’s first Transport Medal. He recently authored a book The Fact in the Fiction, narrating primary lessons on road safety with the help of stories.
“Road accidents are among the most devastating of calamities, causing loss of life and irreversible disability. I have found that there is no better way than through simple stories to communicate with readers my observations during my experience spanning over three decades in the field. Ultimately, transportation must become safe, sustainable, and efficient,” says Mr. Kumar, who lives in Thripunithura after retiring as Joint RTO. Each of the 12 chapters in the book has a story that exhorts road users to ensure their safety and that of others.
In his foreword, disaster management expert Muralee Thummarukudy speaks of how people strive to fix the world, although it is always better to “correct ourselves”. There is also the perception that rules are made for others to follow, though they are made primarily for one’s protection. The book is a comprehensive textbook on road safety, he adds.
Mr. Kumar was also Senior DGM at Kochi Metro Rail Limited, where he was part of the team that endeavoured to bring about seamless integration of the metro with other modes of commute. He played a pivotal role in launching many road safety programmes of the MVD, that were aimed at preventing accidents, in a State where over 4,000 people die each year in road accidents and over 40,000 suffer permanent disability. He is also a guest lecturer at Kerala Police Academy, NATPAC, and Institute of Driver Training and Research (IDTR).
An initiative of SiRST, the book that is priced ₹110, has been brought out by Hornbill Publications.
