VARANASI: At a time when India faces the highest number of road accidents, losing around 80,000 lives every year, The New Indian Express Group, jointly with Hero MotoCorp has launched ‘Surukshit Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Ride Safe India initiative’ in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Launched by The New Indian Express Group, in partnership with ‘Hero We Care’, the ‘Ride Safe India’ initiative on Tuesday aimed to educate two-wheeler riders on the importance of personal safety and strict compliance with traffic norms from January 9-12. The campaign is set to progress to Gorakhpur and Lucknow before concluding at Ayodhya.
During the four-day period, 1,200 helmets and as many jackets will be distributed among two-wheeler riders at various locations. On the first day of the initiative on Tuesday, The New Indian Express Group distributed 200 jackets and an equal number of helmets to the riders in the presence of Varanasi Police Commissioner Mutha Ashok Jain.
“The New Indian Express Group is privileged to initiate the Surukshit Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Ride Safe India outreach programme, with Hero MotoCorp,” Lakshmi Menon, CEO of the group, said. “The Group has always believed the way to build a better society is through care and has undertaken many responsive public initiatives which have impacted positive changes in the society. I’m sure this campaign will be effective in creating awareness and help in bringing down road accidents. We are happy to kick start this campaign by distributing 200 jackets as well as an equal number of helmets to the riders,” Menon said.
Bharatendu Kabi, Head of Corporate Communication & Corporate Social Responsibility, Hero MotoCorp, said, “A lot of road accidents happen due to the non-compliance of safe riding behaviour. The objective of the ‘Ride Safe India’ campaign, therefore, is to generate awareness among the riders to always wear helmets.”