Only 25 per cent of car occupants wear the seat belt regularly, according to a latest research survey conducted by Maruti across 17 Indian cities.
Maruti Suzuki has unveiled a social campaign, called #PehniKya?, across India to promote use of seat belts in cars to enhance the safety of all occupants.
#PehniKya? is a 360 degree campaign that aims to educate passenger vehicle users about the importance of seat belts and its crucial role in preventing road fatalities and injuries. Through the campaign, Maruti Suzuki will sensitize people and break myths around seat belt usage. To create high impact, the campaign will leverage a variety of platforms including television, print, radio, digital and on-ground activations. In its first phase, the campaign will cover eight cities across India including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Kolkata, Nagpur and Indore.
As more and more passenger vehicles come equipped with airbags to meet advanced safety norms laid down by the government, the use of seat belt becomes even more critical for safety. If an occupant is not wearing a seat belt, the airbag may cause more harm in the event of a crash.
A survey conducted by Maruti found that the use of seat belts is high in a few cities where enforcement is stringent, and appallingly low in the rest of the country. Besides weak enforcement, the key reasons for not wearing a seat belt include lack of awareness of its benefits, and the fear that wearing a seat belt will ‘negatively affect image’, among others.
Data collated by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) shows that non-wearing of seat belts was reported in 5638 accident deaths in the country in 2016. According to World Health Organization (WHO), seat belts are the primary restraint system that can reduce the risk of fatality by 45-60 per cent.
Managing Director & CEO of Maruti Suzuki, Kenichi Ayukawa said, “The Indian Government is taking several measures to bring down accident fatalities and make roads safer for vehicle occupants and pedestrians. We support these efforts. Seat belt is a primary safety system in a car and several studies show that its regular use can bring down injuries and fatalities in road accidents. Through our social campaign, #PehniKya?, we want to persuade car users to follow this simple safety step”.
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