India, 10 March 2023: Aimed at educating and raising awareness on road safety among women so they can enjoy the freedom of mobility on roads, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) conducted exclusive female-oriented Road Safety Awareness campaign across India which marked the occasion ofInternational Women’s Day.
The 2-day long campaign with the theme of #HelmetOnLifeOn empowered more than 1300 women with safe road practices and riding/driving skills to ensure their safety and well-being while on road. The celebrations outspread to more than 16 cities across HMSI 10 Traffic Training Parks and 6 Safety Driving Education Centers in India.
Speaking on HMSI’s Women’s Day Road Safety Initiative, Mr. Prabhu Nagaraj, Operating Officer – Brand & Communication, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India said, “HMSI dedicated this International Women’s Day towards building confident and safe female riders on road. With our special #HelmetOnLifeOn campaign, we wanted to celebrate the spirit of womanhood by creating road safety awareness and further empowering them to enjoy the freedom of mobility on roads confidently and independently. We are honored to celebrate this special day with women from different stratum of society and thank them for celebrating this occasion with us.”
Key activities of HMSI’s International Women’s Day celebrations
1. Road Safety Awareness Theory Session – To encourage effective road safety engagement, HMSI’s trained road safety instructors used Road Safety Learning Programs that focused on essential aspects of road safety (road safety rules, road sharing manners, correct driving/riding posture, importance of riding gears and vehicle maintenance tips).
2. Kiken Yochi (danger prediction) Training (KYT) – The participants were sensitized on different aspects of hidden threats while using the road as pedestrian or motor vehicle user to enhance their sensitivity to danger and ensure safe driving behavior on roads.
3. Static Check – Under this activity, women learnt general methods of vehicle check that are necessary for embarking their journey.
4. Slow Riding Skill Contest – All women then implemented the knowledge gained through a special slow riding skill contest. The top 3 performers were rewarded with Honda branded helmets.
5. Fun Activities- To make it a memorable experience for participants, a Fun Zone was also setup. Women enjoyed various games and won Honda merchandize and helmets.
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India’s CSR commitment towards Road Safety:
For Honda globally, road safety comes first. As announced in April 2021, “Honda will strive for zero traffic collision fatalities involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles globally by 2050”. Fulfilling its corporate social responsibility (CSR), HMSI has been promoting road safety in India since its start in 2001. Working towards the realization of Honda’s global safety vision, today HMSI’s road safety awareness initiative has already spread to more than 50 lac Indians. Its team of skilled safety instructors conduct daily programs at its 10 adopted traffic parks across India and 6 Safety Driving Education Centers (SDEC).
Not only this, all HMSI’s 1000+ dealerships across India spread road safety awareness. HMSI’s proprietary virtual riding simulator increases the risk-prediction ability of riders; while new customers too are given predelivery safety advise (PDSA) before they start riding at every dealership across India.
Additionally, ensuring that learning doesn’t stop in the new normal, HMSI started the digital road safety education initiative – Honda Road Safety E-Gurukul. Since its start in May’20, this initiative has sensitized more than 8 Lac Indians on importance of being aware & responsible road users.
