Santas turn traffic knights to spread road safety message

Don't be surprised to see a Santa spreading traffic safety message in Koramangala on Saturday.

Dashing through Bengaluru's traffic, volunteers dressed as Santas will be holding placards and charts to educate traffic offenders and spread road safety messages as part of the #TraffiKnights initiative.

The volunteers of Volunteer for a Cause (VFC) group have initiated the 'TraffiKnights' - a traffic awareness campaign. Every month, these volunteers come together at the major signals in the city to create awareness about road safety.

This Christmas, the volunteers from the group, plan to deliver road safety messages in Santa costume.

The initiative was started by a group of five like-minded individuals. Today, the group has over 25 dedicated members, who have already covered over 30 signals in the city.

"When the signal turns red, the volunteers holding various placards with signs and information on traffic rules stand in front of the vehicle users and as the signal turns green, they move sideways making way for vehicles to pass," said Surendran Krishnan, founder of the group.

Apart from encouraging people to follow rules, the volunteers also interact with the public and campaign with children. They also help ambulances find the way through the traffic.

"We have had the commuters join us to spread awareness. They say that they are inspired to see the youngsters volunteering for such an important cause," said Sharath K, a volunteer.

"We have seen people fastening their seat belts or stop conversing on a phone when they see us standing with our placards. It feels great to see the little difference that we are making to the society," added Krishnan.