Toyota Kirloskar Motor organized a platform on road safety for the state level winners with an aim to evaluate the real-time learnings and applications by the students. ‘Toyota Safety Education Program’ (TSEP) is an interactive learning program targeted at school children between the age group of 10-14 years educating them on the importance of road safety through a phase-wise approach.
The programme aimed at enhancing the level of awareness and instill responsible behavior amongst school children on road safety. Company aims at inculcating the road safety culture in school children from class 5th to 9th through various methodologies like classroom sessions and practical demonstrations. The awareness and behavioral change are evaluated through various competitions namely quiz, project work and skit performances.
The Toyota Safety Education Programme – TSEP was initiated in 2007 followed by the new module roll-out in 2008 through a national launch across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore. The new TSEP module is focused on bringing in attitudinal change amongst school children. It is a step wise approach, a slow introduction of the concept to school children aiming for better retention of the awareness on important aspects of road safety. The program is an age group wise distribution of the know – how on road safety to children [Grade 5th – 8th].
Specific to Grade 9, the students are encouraged to take up project-based activities [on voluntarily basis] well-guided by teachers with an aim to educate the general public on road safety. As a part of the learning program, children are engaged in mimes, slogan writing, drawing competition, class room sessions, quiz competitions, manning traffic junctions, teaching the learnings of TSEP to the junior class children and nearby schools.
The emphasis is to demonstrate the projects on road safety in various platforms like parents – teacher meet, school assembly, public areas. All these activities are undertaken under the active leadership of the respective teachers from the school under the guidance of Toyota and implementing partner.
Through these various measures, Toyota aims to influence the general public and the families of the children, setting an example through the actions of younger safety ambassadors.
Highlights of TSEP Module:
- A comprehensive program covering wide array of topics pertaining to road safety
- Causes of road accidents
- First & How to respond during emergencies
- Road Etiquettes
- Civic Sense
- Maintenance of the vehicle
- Safety rules to be followed while using public transport or school bus.
- Safety rules for cyclists, pedestrians and two-wheeler drivers
- Importance of traffic rules to be followed
- Consequences of traffic rule violation
- Minimum age of driving/riding, documents to be kept while driving & other aspects
Expressing his views on this occasion, Naveen Soni, Vice President of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “Education is the most effective way to bring in a constructive change in the society. Being safety leader, we strive to ensure safety of every road user be it driver or pedestrian. As we believe, children are the future of our country, our aim is to develop them to be the ‘Road Safety Ambassadors’ & advocate the safety cause to tackle one of the grave national issues.”
“Our key objective is to bring a self-transformation amongst the school children by raising safety awareness through this TSEP program and at the same time bring in a large societal change through their safe actions at road.”, he said
The event was graced by Eish Singhal, Deputy Commissioner of Police – Delhi Traffic Police; Ramdeep Choudhary, Deputy Secretary (MoRTH), Kamal Singh, Executive Director – UNGCNI [UN Global Compact Network India] in the presence of the senior representative from Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Naveen Soni, Vice President.
*According to a recent study conducted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, road accidents claimed 1,50,000 lives during 2018 in India and 400 deaths every day on Indian roads, which further translates into 57 accidents and loss of 17 lives every hour [on an average] in our country. [*Source: MoRTH].
