Managing traffic, corporate-style

Managing 55 lakh-plus vehicles on Delhi roads is a gigantic task for the short-staffed Delhi Traffic Police, increasing private sector sponsorship for road safety initiatives has come as a great help, reports Nivedita Khandekar.

Managing 55 lakh-plus vehicles on Delhi roads is a gigantic task for the short-staffed Delhi Traffic Police, increasing private sector sponsorship for road safety initiatives, with focus on students, has come as a great help.

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As part of the Corporate Social Responsibility, these companies are into road safety education, apart from enforcement and driver training.

Hyundai Motors Ltd, along with Indian Road Traffic Education (IRTE); Society for Indian Automobile Manufacture (SIAM); Hero Honda and TDI Infrastructure are just a few names that are into traffic education activities in association with the Road Safety Cell of Delhi Traffic Police.

According to Ruvina Bembi, secretary of IRTE, the institute along with Hyundai has been training ‘Student Traffic Volunteers’ for three years now. About 100 students, trained each year, are deployed at certain intersections at peak hours to assist traffic officers. “We can contribute directly in improving the road safety conditions,” she said.

Stating students are an effective medium, SIAM, a consortium of 42 automobile manufacturers, has been organising painting and debate competition for students for eight years. “We also have a jigsaw puzzle about road safety, which is a huge hit with children,” says SIAM Senior Director S Sen.

“We are into driver training and road safety education programmes for school and colleges with the Delhi Traffic Police since 1999,” says Prashant Chopra, head (Safety) Hero Honda.

Traffic chief SN Shrivastava says, “Road safety education being an enormous task, we always need help. We are looking forward to joining hands for publicity and awareness campaign in audio-visual media.”