SIAM-KVS road safety online education initiative provides roadmap for Viksit Bharat: SIAM Chief

IANS April 22, 2025 174 views

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has launched an innovative road safety education programme targeting school children across India. Through interactive 40-minute modules featuring animated characters, the initiative aims to instill critical safety awareness from an early age. The programme, currently available in English and Hindi, uses creative storytelling techniques to teach road safety principles like helmet and seat belt usage. If successful in Kendriya Vidyalayas, SIAM plans to expand the initiative to Navodaya and state-run schools nationwide.

"Our aim is to raise awareness about road safety among children at an early age" - Prashant K. Banerjee, SIAM Executive Director
New Delhi, April 22: The SIAM-KVS Road Safety Online Education Programme is a mega initiative in India's journey to becoming a developed nation by 2047, Executive Director of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Prashant K. Banerjee, said on Tuesday.

Key Points

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Interactive 40-minute road safety modules designed for school children

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Modules use engaging characters like tortoise and kangaroo

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Programme aims to create generational change in safety behavior

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Currently piloted in Kendriya Vidyalaya schools nationwide

Speaking to IANS, Banerjee said road safety remains a major challenge in India's development and called for a generational change to address the issue.

As part of this special initiative, a road safety learning module titled ‘Surakshit Safar’ was launched at Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2 in Delhi Cantonment.

“Our aim is to raise awareness about road safety among children at an early age. That’s why we’ve created modules covering the basics of road safety, pedestrian rules, the importance of helmets and seat belts. These primary gadgets can bring about a major transformation in safety behaviour,” Banerjee told IANS.

He further informed that the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has already included these models in its monthly curriculum.

Explaining the modules, he told IANS that, “It’s a 40-minute course, designed in an interactive and engaging manner. For primary school children, we’ve used characters like a tortoise and a kangaroo to explain safety.”

For example, the tortoise’s hard shell is used to explain helmets, and the kangaroo’s pouch symbolises seat belts, forming a story based on a mother-child bond, he added.

“For middle and secondary school students, we are developing more advanced modules with 3D animation and relatable characters from daily life,” he told IANS.

Banerjee also said that a quiz follows the 30-minute session, where students must choose between correct and incorrect answers.

Children who perform well will receive certificates, while others will be encouraged to improve and try again.

The initiative is currently available in English and Hindi, but plans are in place to expand it to other languages in the future.

As of now, the programme is being implemented as a pilot project in Kendriya Vidyalayas. If successful, it will be extended to Navodaya schools and state-run schools across the country.

Reader Comments

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Priya M.
This is such an important initiative! Teaching road safety to kids early will create lifelong habits. Love the creative approach with animal characters 🐢🦘. Hope they expand it to all schools soon!
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Rahul K.
Great concept but implementation will be key. Many government schools lack basic infrastructure - how will they access these online modules? Hope they've planned for offline alternatives too.
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Sunita P.
As a mother, I really appreciate this! My son came home yesterday talking about the kangaroo seatbelt story. If we teach them young, maybe our next generation will be safer drivers. 🙌
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Amit D.
Finally some focus on road safety education! The interactive approach sounds promising. Maybe they should make similar modules for adults too - many need refreshers on basic rules.
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Neha T.
The multilingual expansion is crucial. Safety messages need to reach every corner of India in local languages. Hope they prioritize this quickly after the pilot phase.
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Vikram S.
While I appreciate the effort, 40 minutes per month seems inadequate for such an important topic. Should be at least weekly sessions with practical demonstrations too. Quality over quantity matters in safety education.

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