B’lurean runs road safety campaign for youth

Yogesha Lakkanna has identified speeding by youngsters and driving without a licence as key problems

Banashankari resident Yogesha Lakkanna is running a road safety campaign to sensitise the youth in and around Bengaluru. It is called ‘Swarakshane’.

He has conducted road safety programmes at four educational institutions in Bengaluru and Kunigal, in association with Rotary Bangalore Spandana. “I took over as the club president last year and I wanted to use this opportunity to spread awareness about an issue I am passionate about,” he talks of his decision to start the campaign in August 2022. He identified the gaps in India’s road safety ecosystem through his work. He has driven over 2 lakh kilometres across the globe in 14 years to do “navigation testing”. Yogesha is the associate director of Embitel Technologies, and verifies and validates automotive infotainment systems.

“Every year, on an average, road accidents lead to over 1.5 lakh deaths and around 65,000 amputations in India. A majority of accidents are a result of reckless two-wheeler driving by youngsters,” he points out.

His campaign covers four areas: road infrastructure and bureaucratic bodies, condition of the vehicle, awareness about road safety among drivers, and emergency response. However, his main focus is to increase the adoption of driving licences.

“I was conducting a programme at a college last year. Out of the 75 students in the room who could ride or drive, only a handful had a driving licence. This is a growing problem, especially in rural areas,” he shares.

In his campaigns, he invites traffic officers, traffic wardens, and transport officials to teach youngsters how to drive responsibly and other road etiquette. He sensitises them about the importance of a driving license for insurance and other legal purposes. He also organises informative skits involving students and asks them to take an oath to be responsible drivers.

When Yogesha started the campaign, he was doing it out of his personal funds. Now his company sponsors it as a part of corporate social responsibilty. “I’ve also contacted other rotary clubs that are associated with colleges in the city. I plan to cover at least 10 more schools and colleges by July,” adds the 47-year-old.