Toyota Kirloskar Motor Champions the cause of Road Safety

Guwahati, 25 November 2015―Imagine living in a country witnessing high casualty rates on a daily basis; a country ranked as one of the deadliest in the world in terms of motoring accidents. Vice Chairman and Director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), Shekar Viswanathan, says that this has been the reality for citizens of India. He explains, "The country witnesses around 1.4 lakh [104,000] road accident related deaths every year," thus, "claiming an average of more than 16 lives every hour." The startlingly high levels of risk provided the impetus for TKM to organize the Safety Seminar in Guwahati. Ensuring road safety requires concerted, societal effort. This is why Toyota is approaching education on safer road-use by engaging road-users from all walks of life and age groups, through an assortment of hands-on activities which are both fun and informative.

The Safety Seminar was part of the quadrilateral Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Friendship Motor Rally. Its objective was to address country-wide traffic safety issues in India and government officials from both central and state levels were in attendance, so as to extend a governmental perspective into road-safety improvement efforts in India.

The seminar was divided into three sessions, consisting of broad discussion themes such as industry initiatives towards a safer Indian society, the importance of safe driving, and awareness and enforcement, amongst other topics. Mr. Abhay Damle, the Joint Secretary for the Ministry of Road Traffic and Highways (MORTH), added that on top of appreciation for TKM, "this platform helped to reflect, share knowledge, and enhance understanding on the various challenges with regard to road safety." Furthermore, he expressed further optimism that, "With initiatives like these we are one step closer to creating a safer traffic environment."

The BBIN Friendship Motor Rally, of which the seminar was a part, follows the ratification of the Motor Vehicle Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic. The rally, therefore, serves a dual purpose of deepening regional integration and championing the road safety cause, together with the enhancement of connectivity. It began on November 14, at Bhubaneshwar, covering all four countries over 4,500km. The Safety Seminar was conducted on November 25 in Guwahati, during the course of the rally, which eventually came to a close on December 2 in Kolkatta. Toyota Kirloskar Motor extended support by providing Fortuner and Innova vehicles for the rally in addition to its role in conducting the Safety Seminar.

Toyota has been active in championing for a safer road environment under the theme of "Safe Road Safe Cars." It has conducted several road safety initiatives since 2005, including the Toyota Safety Education Program (TSEP) which was launched in 2007 for spreading road safety awareness among school children. The program has now reached out and educated around 60,000 children in various Indian cities.

On the manufacturing front, Toyota was also the first auto manufacturer to have standardized airbags across all grades of its Etios vehicle, a move representative of its commitment to prioritizing safety. Furthermore, Toyota has developed computer-animated virtual human models known as THUMS―a millennial crash test dummy―to analyze and simulate real-life accidents. The data that is obtained can then be used to develop refined airbags and seats that help reduce certain collision scenarios.

As Eiji Toyoda said, "Safe work is the door to all work; let us pass through this door."