Kolkata Police announces 4th edition of 'Safe Drive, Safe Life' half-marathon in January with ace athlete Colin Jackson in attendance
Half-Marathon on January 21, 2024, announced Kolkata Commissioner of Police Vineet Kumar Goyal on Friday. Ace athlete Colin Jackson was present at an event organised by Kolkata Police today.
“It is a pleasant occasion that we are announcing this year’s Half-Marathon. We got inspiration from the Tata Marathon.
Last marathon was highly successful. We expect a larger number of people this year,” the city police commissioner said today.
The Commissioner of Police registered as the first participant after the website for the Half Marathon was launched.
Safe Drive Safe Life is a campaign that was launched by Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee on 8th July 2016 in a bid to promote road safety and ensure that people can move across the city safely. The program aimed at spreading awareness about road safety was very well received by the citizens of the State.
«A severe drop in the annual casualty figure in road accidents is a testament to the effective impact of the program all over the state,» Goyal said.
The Half Marathon was an extension of West Bengal government’s “Safe Drive, Safe Life campaign”. “The campaign started in 2016 and fatalities have reduced over the years. There is a 60 percent reduction of fatalities and it has enhanced safety of people and drunken driving has also been reduced,” Goyal said.
“I thank the transport secretary for helping us with infrastructure issues,” he added.
The last Half Marathon was organized in February 2023 and there were 12,000 participants in the event.
