The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) concluded its week-long 11th Safe Mobility Inter-School Road Safety Competition and Annual Teachers’ Meet on Wednesday, engaging over 2000 students from more than 500 schools across New Delhi. The event, held under SIAM’s ‘सुरक्षित सफर (Safe Journey)’ initiative with CSR support from Suzuki Motorcycle, also saw participation of over 400 educators in a special road safety workshop conducted in association with Hindustan Times.
The competition, organised in partnership with Gyan Mandir Public School, featured more than 20 categories including e-poster making, jingle creation, logo designing, presentations, brochure designing, short films, and photography. SIAM felicitated winners during the event, which aimed at promoting traffic discipline, safer streets, and community awareness among students.
Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director of SIAM, implored that, “In line with the ‘Surkahsit Safar’ vision, SIAM has worked to shape road safety mindsets with strong support from schools and teachers, and through structured modules introduced with MoRTH and the Ministry of Education. As India becomes a leading auto market on the road to ‘Viksit Bharat’, road fatalities remain a major concern, 1% of global vehicles but 178,000 deaths last year. A collective behavioural shift is essential for safer mobility.”
Alok Jaitley, President, SAFE, mentioned, “Road safety is not just about statistics as every number is a life and a family impacted. This initiative places education at the core, because when good habits start early in schools, they influence entire households. Discipline practised daily creates responsible road users. Through this program, we aim to build that culture by engaging students, empowering teachers and strengthening the message of safe mobility across communities.”
Principals from participating schools noted behavioral changes among students and families. Mrs. Rajesh Bano Preeya, Principal, Gyan Mandir Public School said, “Parents often tell us their children now remind them not to jump signals or break traffic rules. This shift in awareness among students is a strong sign that road safety education is beginning to influence families as well.”
Swarnima Luthra, Principal, ASN Sr. Sec. School, New Delhi said, “We have introduced positive reinforcement practices to encourage parents to follow basic safety norms, such as wearing helmets. When children see these habits being embraced both at home and in school, it strengthens their understanding of responsible behaviour and builds a lasting culture of safety.”
The event was attended by Madhur Agarwal, Circulation Head, HT Media, Delhi NCR, Hindustan Times; Sarada Rout, Manager – Corporate Planning, Suzuki Motorcycle India Ltd; and Meenakshi Kukreja, Director, SIAM.
The initiative aligns with the government’s ‘Sadak Suraksha, Jeevan Raksha’ campaign. SIAM has been organising Safe Mobility inter-school competitions since 2015 in association with Gyan Mandir Public School, engaging thousands of students through activities promoting responsible mobility.