Road safety is an unusual cause to be taken up under CSR. In the last two decades, the number of vehicles on roads has trebled along with the length of national and state highways. Unfortunately, what hasn’t kept pace is an awareness of road safety. More than 15 lakh lives have been lost in road accidents between 2005-2016.According to various government research studies, the annual economic cost of road accidents in India is estimated to be 1-2 per cent of our GDP. And this of course, doesn’t consider the emotional trauma to the families affected, which is incalculable. Given that a major cause of road accidents is drinking and driving, alcohol maker Diageo has espoused the cause of road safety and focused its programme on four pillars: education, enforcement, emergency services and engineering. Education efforts are directed in two areas. In partnership with the government of Uttar Pradesh and the International Spirits and Wines Association of India (ISWAI), Diageo launched a multi-media campaign in the state to curb irresponsible consumption of alcohol. This campaign consisted of public service advertising in mainstream media like print, television, radio, out-of-home media, as well as digital media. In addition to the awareness chapter, Diageo India has also partnered with Uttar Pradesh police to support them with 75 breath analysers and 1,000 emergency accident uniforms for conducting enforcement drives in the state.
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Police training for road safety. Source: Diageo