Mercedes-Benz inaugurates Safe Roads to promote road safety in India
Approximately 1,40,000 people die in India every year due to road accidents. The major cause for these are the ignorance of safety norms and breaking of rules. Mercedes-Benz aims to increase awareness and thus lower this shocking number with the introduction of the 'Safe Roads' initiative. Mercedes-Benz believes that the positive impact from the initiative can lower the fatality rate by over 70 per cent over the next ten years.
The event took place at Pragati Maidan and was flagged off by Jochen Feese, head of accident research, sensor functions and pedestrian protection, Mercedes-Benz Cars, in the presence of Eberhard Kern, MD & CEO, MBIL, Erich Nesselhauf, MD & CEO, DICV and Manu Saale, MD & CEO, MBRDI. It is undertaken by Mercedes-Benz and its group companies Mercedes-Benz India, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India and Daimler Financial Services India.
'Safe Roads' will use exhibits that have been flown in from Germany. Physical demonstration, visual aids and research reports will be used in the road show. Mercedes-Benz claims that these exhibits that can help prepare you in experiences which can potentially save lives during road accidents.
The exhibit 'Belt-Slide' will let individuals experience the impact of seat belts in a simulated crash environment at a low speed. The aim is to increase the percentage of seat belt usage for front row passengers including the driver.
Alcohol goggles also will be on display which will be a novelty. Wearing these glasses simulates the common 'walk-the-line' activity which makes individuals realise how situations change once intoxicated. Mercedes-Benz will showcase the original ESF (Experimental Safety) vehicle which they claim will be the highlight of the show. The ESF 2009 will be on display to showcase a glimpse of future of safety. The ESF illustrates safety features like PRE-SAFE, Braking Bag, Interactive Vehicle Communication, etc.
Jochen Feese spoke about the event "Safety is a core value for Mercedes-Benz. Therefore all our business units stress safety as a priority for the user as well as for the environment they are operating in. When we learned about the accident and fatality rates in India, we decided to develop the 'Safe Roads' CSR initiative. This is also in line with our spirit of good corporate citizenship meaning that we like to contribute to the society we do business with. We hope that our initiative will kick-start an era of road safety awareness and will support a new culture of road safety among the people in India."
We hope that this initiative taken by Mercedes Benz pays off and the safety on our roads increases in the coming years.
