From religion to passion, cricket in India enjoys the adulation that no other sport does. It entertains, enthralls and ends up teaching you some of life’s most important lessons such as sportsmanship and team spirit. But that’s not all, if you look closer, it also teaches you an important lesson on road safety, a life-saving one at that.
Before we tell you more, watch this video by Reliance General Insurance.
When it comes to safety of children on Indian roads, the picture is rather grim. According to statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau, nearly 43 children are killed in road accidents daily on Indian roads. That’s almost 16,000 young lives lost in a year. Compare this to the fatalities that have taken place on a cricket ground ever - 12 - and you’ll see a stark contrast. And yet, people are more careful on the cricket ground than they are on the road. Despite knowing that wearing a helmet can be a life-saving habit, a lot of them, specially pillion riders, tend to not take it seriously. They end up compromising their safety and risking their lives.
A road safety survey suggests that a staggering 74 percent pillion riders refuse to wear helmets. This only highlights the callous and casual approach Indians have towards road safety. Despite the presence of strict laws, people do not give importance to wearing helmets while riding pillion on a two-wheeler. That’s where a video such as this ends up making a solid impact.
Made as part of Reliance General Insurance’s road safety initiative #FaceThePace, the video conveys a hard-hitting message effectively using the analogy of cricket.
Just as wearing a helmet protects both the batsman and wicket-keeper on the cricket field, it protects the rider and pillion rider on the road. The same message has been conveyed earlier, but never before has it hit home so hard and so effectively.
Here’s hoping this video serves as an eye-opener to every person that rides a two-wheeler and inspires a mindset change. After all, our safety is in our own hands.
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