As part of the Daan Utsav in October, Qwikcilver Solutions Pvt Ltd picked Road Safety. There were two parts to this : a campaign to increase awareness with the general public, and a specific training session on “Drive Safely” conducted within the organization.
The Volunteers carried out a campaign on Road Safety at the Forum Mall Traffic Junction. For about 3 hours, they walked around with placards drawing attention to road safety. Be Aware. Be Safe. The volunteers were careful not to distract moving vehicles, they walked along the streets where the traffic was halted at the signal to share the message and increase awareness.
There was also an interesting attempt to use “Gandhigiri” for this cause.
The first two chocolates were given to riders using helmets. Then, the idea germinated. The next chocolate was handed over to a rider who had his helmet on his hand with the words “Wear your helmet, so you can continue to eat more chocolates!” It had a great impact! Not just on the person, but others around as well! And so, we gave away chocolates to errant drivers to nudge them towards safety. Drivers who were
… without helmets
… with helmets but not using them properly
… using cellphones
… riding bikes on the footpath
… driving on the wrong side
Here is a sample of the placards used
The Drive Safely Session exhorted participants to cultivate a mindset for Safety. With over 78% of accidents resulting from choices made by drivers ( speed, loading, drinking, dangerous driving, ..) the focus was on defensive driving and saying “No” to distracted driving. The participants signed a pledge, affirming their commitment to road safety, and this was also carried further to others in the organization.
