Our life is our responsibility… Riders and drivers must take proper precautions – Sai Durgha Tej

To raise public awareness about road and traffic rules and to prevent road accidents, the Hyderabad Police organized the “Traffic Summit 2025.” Hero Sai Durgha Tej attended the event as the chief guest and donated ₹5 lakh to the police department. On this occasion…

Hero Sai Durgha Tej said, “There’s also a personal reason why I came to this traffic meet. Everyone already knows about it. On September 10, 2021, I had an accident. I was in a coma for two weeks. I’m not telling this for sympathy. I want everyone to know. The main reason I survived that day was because I wore a helmet. That’s why I’m standing here today. So I request every single person who rides a bike to definitely wear a helmet.

Family members and partners of every rider must ensure they wear a helmet. After the accident I lost my voice… I forgot many things. I almost gave up hope in life. Don’t ride bikes at high speed. Everyone has a wonderful life, everyone should live smiling. If you want your loved ones to keep smiling, you must take precautions when you ride a bike. Likewise, people who drive cars should also follow traffic rules. I request everyone to wear seat belts. Following rules is good not only for you but also for your co-passengers and those traveling the opposite way.

When I had a bike accident, the only thing I remember is falling off the bike. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital. After the accident I became afraid of riding a bike. But while holding the bike helmet in my hand, my mother told me something: ‘I don’t want my son to live in fear or be scared of bike riding. Ride only in the empty space in front of the house and once you gain confidence there, then go onto the road.’ Following her words, I now ride the bike every week in the empty space in front of our home and only while wearing a helmet.

I am still recovering. After the accident I forgot how to speak. My fine motor balance was gone. I even forgot how to hold a pen. I couldn’t even write a sentence. It took a long time to reach this stage. It will still take time before I can go back on the road to drive. I don’t drink. Usually when our friends have parties, they call me to safely take them home.

I also tell my fellow star heroes to wear helmets when performing stunts in films. If you look at Kollywood star Ajith, you can see he wears a helmet even while doing stunt scenes. When I wanted to act in films, I used to go to every film office with my photos and ask them to give me a chance if one came up. At that time I used to travel by bike. In some offices I saw my photos being put aside. Sometimes I even asked them, ‘Don’t put my photos aside, give them to me, I’ll take them to other offices,’ and take them back.

I never drove with my uncles (Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan) riding pillion. I never had that chance. Pawan Kalyan really likes bike riding. But he always says to take precautions while riding. We should recognize the police as the unsung heroes. At home, if we feel safe, it’s because of our mother, father, sister and family members. But if we go out fearlessly, it’s because of the police. They deserve our salute. Because they give us the courage to be unafraid. No matter what problem comes, the courage provided by the police is different. Without our knowing, the police have become a part of our lives. They spend a lot of time with us. We should always wish for such people to be there. My grandfather also belonged to the police department.

In all these years I have crossed traffic signals without stopping only once or twice. Generally I follow rules. I’ve heard that bike races happen near T-Hub. I actually live very close to them, but I’ve never noticed them. I don’t ride my bike fast enough to join those races. I have to answer to my mother… and I have a younger brother to answer to. The one thing I want to tell everyone is this: our life is our responsibility. Nobody else will take that responsibility. If we do wrong, we alone will suffer.

I am making a request to the police. Usually, when people ride without helmets or drive under the influence, they are just caught, given counseling or fined and then released. But instead of that, if something better can be done, it would be good. If a child doesn’t do homework, the fear of the teacher makes him do it. Similarly, if people who don’t wear helmets or those who drive after drinking are given small community service-type punishments, it would be better. The police should think about what is most effective. That will increase responsibility for lives. This is my request.