We’re all stakeholders in the road safety scenario

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Mumbai police have initiated a campaign in the JJ flyover and Bhendi Bazaar areas along with school and madrassa students to propagate the ‘no-honking' message. A senior police officer said the ongoing campaign included putting up banners, getting assistance from NGOs and collaborating with students. The goal was to raise community awareness about traffic rules on the whole, particularly concerns such as helmet use, eliminating riding three-up and reducing wrong-way driving.

It is heartening to see that children were roped in. We must remember that the kids of today are the drivers of tomorrow. Lessons learnt at this age have a tendency to stay for life. Several times we witness kids thrilled at speeding scenes on screen. As long as they realise that it may work on screen, but is actually ‘uncool' and dangerous in real life then, we are putting the right message into impressionable minds.

We also see children riding three-up. If they are made aware that this is not allowed then, they may rightly object when their parents tell them to hop on to drop them to school or go on a family outing. They may be the ones who insist that their mum or dad wear a helmet when riding a two-wheeler. They may gently nudge people into buckling up when in a car and in fact, stop others from crossing roads in a rash and wanton manner.

The Western India Automobile Association, in fact, has a drawing competition for children, where they have to sketch, giving adherence to traffic rules as a cool message through their work. This shows how important it is to weave this age group into the awareness campaign. Citizens have to realise that they are important stakeholders in the safety on roads scenario.