THE NEED
India is the global leader in road accident related deaths. The Global Status Report on Road Safety 2015, states that more than 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes in the world and India accounts for more than 2 lakh of those deaths. Two wheeler riders are at the highest risk of being killed in a road accident. 31.5% of the people killed in crashes involved two wheelers. The current licensing systems in the country are unable to adequately assess skill and quality of the two wheeler riders, while paying inadequate attention to the importance of training to potential two wheeler riders.
SOLUTION
As part of our United for Road Safety project, we reach out to youth who are potential two wheeler riders, encouraging them to be safe and responsible riders from the very beginning. We work in close partnership with the Traffic Police, Regional Transport Offices, colleges and youth groups.
Training sessions are conducted involving theoretical as well as practical guidance to potential two wheeler riders. College youth are targeted to ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge they need from the very beginning and in an attempt to make safe riding aspirational for the target demographic.
We have introduced India's fist mobile simulator for training in safe two wheeler riding. This simulator is taken to colleges and participants are given an opportunity to test their skills in a safe and supervised environment. A printed assessment on their riding skills and gaps is shared on completion of this exercise.
Road safety clubs are formed to create ownership, sustainability and continuous participation. These trained youth become ambassadors of road safety and help spread awareness amongst a larger population.
Applicants of the learner license for two wheeler riding, as well as participants who have failed the two wheeler license test are offered a 45 minute training session in the RTO premises followed by an opportunity to test their skills on a simulator.
