National Road Safety Week: CSR Initiatives of Honda 2Wheelers to Address Road Safety in India

India is among the world’s biggest two-wheelers markets. In fact, surveys have shown that one in three households in India owns a two-wheeler. As the roads get more and more crowded with vehicles, it is important to take measures for road safety to avoid mishaps and loss of life as well as property.

Honda 2Wheelers holds a large chunk of the two-wheeler market in India. Considering the safety of its consumers and other on the road as its responsibility, it dedicates a lot of its energies under its CSR initiatives to address road safety.

In this National Road Safety Week, let us look at the CSR initiatives of Honda 2Wheelers aimed at making roads safer for all.

Road Safety Project – Safer Journey for All

A large number of trucks and buses ply frequently on highways. The drivers often face challenging conditions and have to deal with inflexible and long hours on the roads, increasing their chances of contracting health issues associated with driver fatigue and eye problems, among others. Both these issues are known to be one of the leading causes of crashes and rollovers. Recognizing the potential threat these issues may have on the drivers themselves and on the safety of other commuters who travel on highways, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) under the CII-Northern Region Committee on CSR with support of Honda 2Wheelers, initiated a Road Safety Project, “Safer Journey for all”. The overall aim of the project is to help governments and societies feel safe on the road and implement noble practices in accordance with the National Road Safety Policy. The objective is to reduce road accidents and casualties by creating better awareness amongst truck and bus drivers on topics such as health and road safety. It is focused on two specific areas to direct its intervention efforts: Public health, sustainability Road casualty reduction

Under this initiative, the organisation conducted eye-screening and health check-ups for 1600+ beneficiaries and distributed 400+ glasses to those who needed it. To encourage and educate people on road safety, the organisation conducts workshops and Nukkad Nataks (street plays) on topics surrounding road safety. The objective of the street play component is to create awareness about road safety rules and motivate people to follow traffic rules. The organisation conducts these events at locations such as busy market places and metro stations around New Delhi to maximize outreach. The performers often carry placards and rally slogans to motivate people to wear helmets and use seat belts.

The organisation also organises workshops by expert trainers on traffic rules and road safety measures with students of classes 6th to 9th with an aim to create awareness and promote safe road practices among the next generation. It imparts training programs on basic trauma life support skills to youth through SaveLIFE Foundation, to ensure that they are able to act accurately during a situation of duress.

Haryana Vision Zero (HVZ) & Punjab Vision Zero (PVZ)

HVZ and PVZ are the flagship and state-wide initiatives of Honda 2Wheelers, in partnership with NASSCOM and WRI (World Resources Institute) for HVZ & The Raahgiri Foundation (TRF) for PVZ.

The initiative has four core components comprising the 4Es of road safety, namely, engineering, enforcement, education and emergency care. Based on the 4Es, the implementation of the initiative is divided into 6 modules: blackspot identification, preliminary crash investigation, FIR analysis, road safety inspection, intersection improvement, Harpath and e-challaning, which are managed by a total of 24 road associates distributed across the state.

In order to create awareness about the initiative and road safety, the organisation conducts a road safety week in the states, focusing on spreading the message of road safety among road users, including school children.

Institute of Driving Training & Research

In order to align with its vision of making roads safer and promoting safe driving, Honda 2Wheelers India is constructing an IDTR-Institute of Driving Training & Research with the objective to impart practical training, develop sound driving habits, and impart adequate traffic knowledge to ensure trained participants become competent drivers.

Organising Raahgiri Day

With an aim to spread awareness on road and traffic safety, Honda 2Wheelers in collaboration with TRF organises Raahgiri Day. Raahgiri Day is a day where overall healthy living is celebrated through the promotion of activities such as cycling, walking, other physical activities and road safety quizzes. On the celebration day, the organisation bring in eminent personalities to be advocates of change and help reach out to people, with the goal of generating awareness on healthy habits and good practices to follow on the road. People from various backgrounds participate in the celebrations and innovative activities that involve testing physical strength and team building.

Raahgiri Days are usually organized on Sundays in collaboration with various important stakeholders such as Municipal Corporation of Rohtak, Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), media houses, corporates, local community members, Residential Welfare Association (RWA) members, schools, NGOs and local volunteers, along with Haryana Police.

Road Safety Awareness & First Aid Programme in Rajasthan

As per data from a 2016 survey report, Rajasthan reported 10,465 deaths due to road accidents, nearly 70% of which happened in the rural belt of Rajasthan. Considering these facts, Honda 2Wheelers extended its support to Sahayta to initiate a pilot project to spread awareness and impart training to people to reduce the mortality rate due to road accidents.

The project targets schools and villages in the vicinity of Tapukara in Alwar district. As part of the steps taken to achieve this target, awareness generating materials in the form of distribution of booklets and pamphlets to teachers and students. Further, innovative methods such as home production movies and other presentations highlighting road safety tips are used as a part of the awareness generation mechanism. In addition to this, a major component of the program is the delivery of more than 20 Basic Life Saving (BLS) courses to beneficiaries to promote the cause.

Adoption of Traffic Parks

Honda 2Wheelers has adopted thirteen traffic parks across various locations in India with the aim to renovate, maintain and equip them with safety signals, simulator training vehicles, training aids and games on traffic themes. These parks stand as important avenues to promote road safety.

Moreover, the company has partnered with local police departments and administrators to utilize these parks to spread awareness on safe riding techniques and traffic rules through the implementation of education drives that reach out to several people, including women and children. The organisation conducts various road safety initiatives at these parks, free of cost for all age groups.

Honda 2Wheelers is dedicated to promoting road safety in India. Through its CSR initiatives, it has benefitted 3.3 million people in the country, till 2019.

This article is part of a series on National Road Safety Week