Bengaluru, Jul 10: A mace-wielding 'Yamaraja,' God of Death, attired in his traditional golden dress intercepted motorists near the Town hall here today and warned them he would visit their homes if they flout traffic rules. The Halasuru Gate traffic police roped in 'Yamaraja' as their brand ambassador to drive home the message of the dangers of not sporting a helmet, reckless driving and other violations.

"We are observing July as a road safety month. As part of it, we are conducting various programmes such as lectures in schools and colleges and street-plays," Deputy Commissioner of traffic police Anupam Agrawal told PTI.

"Also, we thought of using the character Yama to send the message across that if you disobey the traffic rules, Yama will come to your home," he said.

The actor, who stopped motorists and reminded them of the importance of sticking to road rules, was Veeresh, a theatre artiste performing Hindu mythology-based dramas. After intercepting mostly young motorists, Yama waved his mace in the air, warning them that he would not spare them. In some cases, he rode pillion on those motorcycles that were driven recklessly.

According to traffic police, the public awareness drive helped in minimising accidents. Till June-end this year, 2,336 accidents have been reported, of which 330 were fatal, they said.

By last December-end, 5,064 accidents had been reported, of which 609 were fatal. In 2016, 7,506 accidents took place of which 754 were fatal.