Let’s make this New Year’s Eve a safe and memorable one

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It is New Year's Eve and the police are expecting large gatherings today late evening onwards at the Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Girgaon Chowpatty, Juhu beach, Bandra Bandstand and other hotspots.

The Mumbai Police will deploy more than 11,500 security personnel at key locations in the city, officials stated. Police personnel along with the State Reserve Police Force, Riot Control Police and Quick Response Teams (QRTs) will be present. A big part of this New Year exercise will be traffic police for vehicular management. There will be some traffic diversions and slow traffic movement in certain stretches.

Let us make this New Year - and one can expect full on celebrations after COVID has played party-pooper - one to remember for all the right reasons.

Also Read: More than 6,000 GRP personnel to be deployed on Mumbai's rail network on New Year's Eve

Give traffic discipline a big thumbs up. Two-wheeler riders, pillion included, have your helmet on. All those whizzing by in cars, learn from the accident this year where two people perished and wear your seat belts. It is unfortunate that the death of a ‘high-profile' person should put the spotlight on seat belts, but it is what it is; and the important thing is that we should see the takeaways here. Observe decorum on roads and keep within speed limits. That is yet another thing to imbibe from the accident and the wisdom of staying within stipulated limits cannot be stressed enough.

Employ a driver or enlist a sober friend to drive if you must drink. This is because not only your life is precious but also of those you are driving and people on the road in vehicles as well as pedestrians. Spare a thought for the security personnel whose New Year's ‘party' is ensuring a safe city. Rules are cool, to flout is out - make that the new mantra for 2023.