Vodafone India and SaveLIFE Foundation Promote Safety in mobility

The study reveals 94 per cent of people acknowledge using mobile phones during driving as being dangerous but 47 per cent of them admit to receiving calls while driving. The report titled, “Distracted Driving in India: A Study on Mobile Phone Usage, Pattern and Behaviour” was released by  P Balaji, Director External Affairs, Regulatory & CSR,  Vodafone India and Saji Cherian, Director Operations-SaveLIFE Foundation.

The launch of the study was graced by Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Abhay Damle who also  launched the Vodafone-SaveLIFE Foundation “Road Safe” mobile application. The app which has been created with the objective of keeping drivers away from distractions while driving also provides useful tips on safe driving.

This first of a kind study released in India is based on a survey conducted by international research agency Kantar Public covering 8 cities and  a total of 1749 respondents covering four typologies of drivers: two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers and truck/bus drivers.

Amongst other findings, the study reveals that 34 per cent of all respondents tend to apply sudden brakes when talking on the phone while driving, while 20 per cent of respondents admit to having had near-miss situations or having experienced road crash due to using mobile phones while driving. 96 per cent of people spoken to, tend to feel unsafe as passengers if the driver was using mobile phone while driving.

The Vodafone-SaveLIFE Foundation "Road Safe" mobile application has been developed, under the 'Safety in Mobility' theme which has been working to improve Road Safety in India. A key feature in the app is promoting Distraction Free Driving (Android only) which will automatically disable calls/SMS/Push notifications for the driver when vehicle speed is above 10 km/hour. The Road Safe app also has Road Safety tips and information on Traffic fines and offences

Commenting on the noble initiative Abhay Damle, Joint Secretary, MoRTH stated, “The Government of India is committed to reducing road crash deaths and injuries. The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill has been passed by Lok Sabha. The Bill is likely to be considered by Rajya Sabha in the monsoon session. The Bill provides for strict penalties for dangerous driving including use of mobile phones while driving. We urge drivers to refrain from this practice."

Exhorting Indians to follow model Road Safety Norms and set an example to the rest of the world, P. Balaji, Director- Regulatory, External Affairs, Regulatory & CSR, Vodafone India said, “At Vodafone, achieving the highest standards of Health, Safety and Wellbeing for employees, associates, customers, community and wider public at large has been and continues to be an absolute priority. From a CSR & Sustainability perspective too, Vodafone has taken the lead in engaging with our stakeholders on our best practices Health Safety & Well-being, mainly in the domain of road safety. We hope the findings of this first of its kind report will draw focus to the perils of ignoring Road Safety norms and help save lives by getting citizens to use the convenient mobile app. Vodafone is happy to have had SaveLIFE Foundation as our partner to come up with this invaluable study that we hope will alert citizens on hazards of distracted driving and help prevent road mishaps.”

Saji Cherian, Director, Operations, SaveLIFE Foundation said, “This study is path breaking as it categorically confirms for the first time that use of mobile phones while driving is rampant in India. The focus is also on solving the problem by launching the Vodafone-SaveLIFE Foundation Road Safe mobile application that will help drivers remain distraction-free while driving.”