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The Road

The road: where everyone is an excellent driver, and the problem is always other people.

Helmet on. Every ride.

Wear a helmet whenever you ride or sit on a two-wheeler - even for a two-minute trip to the market.

The helmet isn't scared of you looking uncool. It just wants you home for dinner.

Here's the science
  1. What happensRiding a two-wheeler without a helmet
  2. HowIn a crash the unprotected head takes the full impact; a helmet spreads and absorbs that energy before it reaches the skull
  3. SoFar higher chance of a fatal or life-changing head injury
50,029people killed without a helmet (India, 2022)
Official count - government recordIN
“50,029 persons died while not wearing a helmet in 2022; two-wheelers accounted for 44.5% of all road-accident deaths.”

Source: Road Accidents in India 2022 - Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH)(checked 2026-07-18)

And when we do it

Strapped on, a helmet turns most crashes that would have been fatal into ones you walk away from.

You couldn't have known. Now you do.

Belt on. Front and back.

Wear a seatbelt in a car - in the front and the back. Ask the people you're travelling with to do the same.

The belt has one job: keep you inside the car when the car changes its mind.

Here's the science
  1. What happensTravelling in a car without a seatbelt
  2. HowIn a sudden stop an unbelted person keeps moving at the car's old speed and is thrown into the interior or ejected
  3. SoSharply higher risk of fatal injury, including for rear passengers
16,000car-occupant deaths without a seatbelt (approx.) (India, 2022)
Official count - government recordIN
“Around 16,700 car-occupant deaths in 2022 involved persons not wearing seat belts; rear-seat belt use is especially low.”

Figure is the national total of non-belted occupant deaths, not a per-person risk multiplier.

Source: Road Accidents in India 2022 - Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH)(checked 2026-07-18)

And when we do it

Buckled in, you stay in your seat and inside the car's survival space instead of being thrown around it.

You couldn't have known. Now you do.

See the ambulance? Make a gap.

When an ambulance is behind you, ease to the left and let it pass. Don't tuck in behind it to skip the traffic.

The person inside is having a much worse day than your commute.

Here's the science
  1. What happensTraffic that yields quickly to emergency vehicles
  2. HowFor emergencies like cardiac arrest and major trauma, the chance of survival falls with every minute before care begins
  3. SoFaster passage means more people reach hospital inside the window where treatment still works
How it works - the size isn't measured hereGLOBALmeasured abroad - shown for the mechanism, not the Indian number
“Survival from time-critical emergencies such as cardiac arrest declines rapidly with each minute of delay to treatment.”

We show the mechanism, not an Indian survival percentage - a single act of yielding cannot be assigned a clean national number.

Source: Emergency and trauma care - time-critical conditions - World Health Organization(checked 2026-07-18)

And when we do it

A clear gap can be the minutes that decide whether someone reaches care in time.

You couldn't have known. Now you do.

Cross where it's meant for crossing.

Use the zebra crossing or the foot-over-bridge, and cross when it's your turn - don't dart between moving cars to save a minute.

A gap in the traffic is not a door. It's a dare.

Here's the science
  1. What happensPedestrians crossing away from zebra crossings or foot-over-bridges
  2. HowWithout marked crossings or foot-over-bridges, pedestrians share the carriageway with fast traffic that cannot stop in time.
  3. SoPedestrians are one of the largest groups of road-crash deaths in India.
32,825pedestrians killed (India, 2022)
Official count - government recordIN
“Pedestrians are the next highest victim of road accident death with a share of 19.5 percent in 2022.”

The report body states the 19.5 percent pedestrian share; the exact count of 32,825 pedestrians killed in 2022 is from the report's Table 4.4 (persons killed by road-user category).

Source: Road Accidents in India 2022 - Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH)(checked 2026-07-18)

And when we do it

At a marked crossing the drivers expect you - so the one place you're most visible is also the safest place to step out.

You couldn't have known. Now you do.

Red means red. Even at 2 a.m.

Stop at the red light and stay on your own side of the road. An empty-looking junction is exactly where the fast, blind crashes happen.

The light turns green in ninety seconds. A crash lasts the rest of your life.

Here's the science
  1. What happensJumping red lights (and driving on the wrong side)
  2. HowEntering an intersection against the signal throws a vehicle into cross-traffic that has right of way, causing high-speed side-on collisions.
  3. SoRed-light jumping and wrong-side driving are recognised fatal traffic-rule violations in India.
1,462persons killed by jumping red lights (India, 2022)
Official count - government recordIN
“Drunken driving/consumption of alcohol & drugs, jumping of red light and use of mobile phones taken together accounted for 7.4 percent of total accidents and 8.3 per cent of total deaths.”

The exact counts are from the report's Table 3.1 (accidents by type of traffic-rule violation): jumping the red light killed 1,462 people and driving on the wrong side killed 9,094 in 2022. The prose sentence reports these violations combined.

Source: Road Accidents in India 2022 - Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH)(checked 2026-07-18)

And when we do it

When everyone trusts the signal, the junction just works - no game of chicken, no guessing who goes first.

You couldn't have known. Now you do.

The message can wait. The truck can't.

Don't text, scroll or take calls while driving or riding. If it truly can't wait, pull over first.

You can reply now, or you can arrive. Pick one.

Here's the science
  1. What happensUsing a mobile phone while driving
  2. HowLooking at or talking on a phone takes the driver's eyes and attention off the road, lengthening reaction time to hazards.
  3. SoMobile-phone use while driving is a recognised cause of thousands of road deaths a year in India.
3,395persons killed (India, 2022)
Official count - government recordIN
“Drunken driving/consumption of alcohol & drugs, jumping of red light and use of mobile phones taken together accounted for 7.4 percent of total accidents and 8.3 per cent of total deaths.”

The exact death count for mobile-phone use (3,395 in 2022, from 7,558 accidents) is from the report's Table 3.1; the prose sentence names the cause but reports the three violations combined.

Source: Road Accidents in India 2022 - Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH)(checked 2026-07-18)

And when we do it

Eyes on the road for the whole ride means you actually see the child, the pothole, the sudden brake - in time to stop.

You couldn't have known. Now you do.

Drank? Hand over the keys.

Never drive or ride after drinking. Take a cab, call someone, or wait it out - a few hours saved is never worth a life.

Here's the science
  1. What happensDrunken driving / driving after consuming alcohol
  2. HowAlcohol slows reaction time and impairs judgment and coordination, so the driver cannot respond to hazards in time.
  3. SoDrunken driving is a recognised cause of thousands of road deaths a year in India.
4,201persons killed (India, 2022)
Official count - government recordIN
“Drunken driving/consumption of alcohol & drugs, jumping of red light and use of mobile phones taken together accounted for 7.4 percent of total accidents and 8.3 per cent of total deaths.”

The exact death count for drunken driving (4,201 in 2022, from 10,080 accidents) is from the report's Table 3.1; MoRTH notes this violation is likely under-reported.

Source: Road Accidents in India 2022 - Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH)(checked 2026-07-18)

And when we do it

Keys handed over after a drink is the cheapest insurance there is - everyone gets home, including the strangers you would never have met.

You couldn't have known. Now you do.