 "IIT Madras, Ford partner on road safety for young drivers post MoRTH study")
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras Center of Excellence for Road Safety (CoERS) has teamed up with Ford to address the growing issue of road accidents involving young drivers. This new collaboration aims to equip thousands of students from 240 schools in Tamil Nadu with vital road safety knowledge and skills.
The initiative will include master trainers tasked with instructing young drivers, advocating for safer driving practices, and enhancing the education of students, teachers, and traffic officials.
Sreenivasan Janakiraman, CSR head at Ford explained, “Our focus is on empowering educators to foster a culture of road safety, ensuring that the students and the young riders are equipped with the knowledge and skills to navigate the roads safely. This collaboration with CoERS, IIT Madras to inculcate Activity Based Learning Pedagogy helps nurture the next generation of safe drivers.”
Road accidents in India
The partnership comes in the wake of alarming statistics from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) report on Road Accidents in India 2022, which revealed that 42,878 out of 168,491 fatal road accident victims were under 25 years of age.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday also highlighted the urgency of road safety in the country. Gadkari called on vehicle manufacturers to open driving schools and emphasised the importance of safer vehicles through the Bharat NCAP programme.
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IIT Madras, Ford MoU to focus on safety training
The MoU for this collaboration between CoERS, IIT Madras, and Ford was signed on August 30, 2024. Through this initiative, IIT Madras and Ford will focus on early road safety education to foster behavioural changes that can lead to responsible driving. It will offer capacity-building training for teachers, traffic wardens, and police personnel, aiming to embed road safety practices in young drivers early on, the institute said.
Speaking on the partnership, V Kamakoti, director, IIT Madras, said, “Engaging the younger generation in these efforts is crucial for fostering a culture of safety on the roads. We have previously worked on improving driver behaviour, and through this initiative, we aim to sensitise the younger generation — the drivers of tomorrow — towards safer driving practices.”
Venkatesh Balasubramanian, head of CoERS, said early exposure to road safety is critical for behavioural changes that can lead to safer roads.