Uttrakhand Police's half marathon event on Dec 17

Dehradun: Buoyed by the success of its 'half marathon' event last year, Uttarakhand Police will organise its next edition on December 17 here to create awareness about road and women safety.

Emphasising the importance of following traffic and road safety rules, ADG Ashok Kumar said nearly 950 people were killed and around 1,600 sustained injuries in road accidents in the hill state in a year.

"More people are dying in road accidents than in criminal incidents in the state. Security of women is another vital issue with 2,500 cases of crime against women registered in the state in a year. So, road and women safety has been made the theme of this year's half marathon to be held on December 17," he said.

Underlining the importance of women safety, the officer said a society where women were not safe could never prosper.

Asking people to participate in large numbers in the half marathon, Kumar said 4,700 people have already applied online to take part in the event, wherein winners in different categories will get attractive prizes worth up to Rs 10 lakh.

Last year's half marathon themed 'Run Against Drugs - Run Against Corruption' had evoked an enthusiastic response from the people.