Handicap International and PSA Foundation have signed a partnership for road prevention project ‘Together for Safer Roads in the State of Tamil Nadu, India‘.
Road traffic deaths and injuries are a growing public health concern in India, with 300,000 people dying in each year in road accidents, according to the World Health Organization.
Around half of these deaths are among vulnerable road users such as motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. Other studies show that road accidents are the leading cause of death among children and young adults aged five to 29 years-old.
Specifically, Tamil Nadu has one of the highest numbers of road crash fatalities in the country – 65,562 people died in South Indian state in a single year from traffic crashes alone.
The city of Chennai, after Delhi, is the city with the second highest number of road crashes leading to fatalities and the first city for crashes leading to serious injuries.
Thus, the road prevention project sees a multimedia awareness campaign targeting 200,000 children, adolescents and young adults.
The programme, which was launched on November 15 at Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School, comprises two components.
The first part consists in carrying out ‘safety schools zones’ actions, which involve 1,500 children and 60 teachers in order to secure the surroundings of two schools in Chennai. These actions will be carried out in consultation with schools, teachers and parents.
The second component plans to develop a broad communication campaign, particularly on social networks, with territorial bodies and ATSWA Trust in order to raise young people’s awareness of the dangers of the road. Key messages will be targeted 200,000 teens and youths according to age groups and adapted to the most risky behaviours observed in India.
Augustine Justin, PCA Motors senior director HR at Groupe PSA and project sponsor, said: “This project is very important for India, demonstrating that we are committed to the safety and well-being of the Indian people. I am personally involved in this project to support this cause.”
PSA Foundation has committed itself to the road prevention project until December 2020.
