A new social media campaign #SadakSurakshitDilliSurakshit has been launched by the Delhi government to generate online conversations and awareness on four key risk factors identified by WHO – speeding, drink driving, helmet wearing and seatbelts.

This intensive campaign hosted on @delhiroadsafety on Twitter and Facebook for the next six months will raise the profile of road safety as a significant public health issue.

Transport Minister of Delhi, Kailash Gahlot formally launched the campaign today during the Road Safety Summit as part of the larger plan to make Delhi’s roads safer for all. Last year, 1,196 persons were killed while 3,662 persons were left injured in road crashes in the city.

These deaths and injuries are preventable by means of safer street designs, changes in behaviour supported by strategic communication and enforcement of traffic laws, and the use of high-quality data for strengthening road safety policies.

“The roads belong to pedestrians as much as they belong to people in vehicles. Through our campaign, we hope to increase awareness about the evidence-based best practices in road safety and ensure Delhi roads are safer for all road users. Through the Delhi Government’s partnership with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, we aim to reduce these deaths
on the streets of Delhi and hope to build an ecosystem where we do not tolerate any loss of life on our streets.” said Gahlot.

Speeding is responsible for over half of the crashes in Delhi. Under this social media campaign continuing till April 1, 2022, the department through the #SlowDown phase of the campaign will raise awareness on how speeding affects the lives of road crash victims and their families.

To address the importance of helmets and seat belts, in the #ClickForSafety phase of the campaign, the department will start a dialogue in the community on how properly clasped helmets and seatbelts can save lives.

In the anti-drunk driving phase, the #DoNotDrinkAndDrive campaign will aim at deterring motorists from drunk driving, highlighting its dangerous consequences. Also, specific digital products would be launched overtime to amplify the campaign messages and generate engagement.

Vital Strategies, one of the partners under BIGRS, is providing assistance to the Transport Department in designing communication strategies to reduce road crashes, injuries, and deaths. To view and engage with this campaign, one can visit @delhiroadsafety on Twitter and Facebook.

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