<p class="bodytext">A 14-year-old from Rajajinagar has developed an online game to promote road safety among children. A role-playing game, Roadyz places players in everyday road scenarios where they must navigate traffic and obstacles. As they progress in the game, they earn safety gear like helmets and reflective jackets. It will be tested in five city schools and is expected to be released by July.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Surya Uthkarsha was six years old when he and his family met with an accident. His father had tried to veer their car to avoid hitting a buffalo on a highway near Shivamogga. While Uthkarsha was unharmed, his parents and sister suffered injuries to the spine, shoulder and jaw. The incident inspired him to start The Marg Initiative, a road safety education movement, in 2024. Today, the volunteer-driven effort has chapters in Thrissur, Agra, Delhi, Gurugram and Mumbai in India, as well as in Qatar and the UAE, with volunteers aged 12 to 18. </p>.Transport dept organises 'Safe-A-Thon' to promote road safety in Bengaluru.<p class="bodytext">The Bengaluru chapter has conducted several activities, including interactive sessions in schools and orphanages. “We present slideshows of different road situations and ask children what they would do. We then discuss which actions would be safer,” says the Class 10 student. In some sessions, volunteers recreate road environments using cones and props to help children understand pedestrian behaviour, traffic signals and emergency responses.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In December, the team distributed more than 150 reflective jackets to night-shift workers such as hotel staff and valets to improve their visibility to motorists. To reach a wider audience, they have also partnered with events such as the Bengaluru Midnight Marathon to spread awareness.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With support from GBA, the team has also taken up footpath clean-up drives to improve pedestrian safety. “We have cleared footpaths in areas such as Sadashivanagar, Rajajinagar and Malleswaram in the past six months, and are planning 15 more drives this summer,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">For details or to volunteer, visit @marginitiative on Instagram, or write to suryauthkarsha@gmail.com</span></p>
<p class="bodytext">A 14-year-old from Rajajinagar has developed an online game to promote road safety among children. A role-playing game, Roadyz places players in everyday road scenarios where they must navigate traffic and obstacles. As they progress in the game, they earn safety gear like helmets and reflective jackets. It will be tested in five city schools and is expected to be released by July.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Surya Uthkarsha was six years old when he and his family met with an accident. His father had tried to veer their car to avoid hitting a buffalo on a highway near Shivamogga. While Uthkarsha was unharmed, his parents and sister suffered injuries to the spine, shoulder and jaw. The incident inspired him to start The Marg Initiative, a road safety education movement, in 2024. Today, the volunteer-driven effort has chapters in Thrissur, Agra, Delhi, Gurugram and Mumbai in India, as well as in Qatar and the UAE, with volunteers aged 12 to 18. </p>.Transport dept organises 'Safe-A-Thon' to promote road safety in Bengaluru.<p class="bodytext">The Bengaluru chapter has conducted several activities, including interactive sessions in schools and orphanages. “We present slideshows of different road situations and ask children what they would do. We then discuss which actions would be safer,” says the Class 10 student. In some sessions, volunteers recreate road environments using cones and props to help children understand pedestrian behaviour, traffic signals and emergency responses.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In December, the team distributed more than 150 reflective jackets to night-shift workers such as hotel staff and valets to improve their visibility to motorists. To reach a wider audience, they have also partnered with events such as the Bengaluru Midnight Marathon to spread awareness.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With support from GBA, the team has also taken up footpath clean-up drives to improve pedestrian safety. “We have cleared footpaths in areas such as Sadashivanagar, Rajajinagar and Malleswaram in the past six months, and are planning 15 more drives this summer,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">For details or to volunteer, visit @marginitiative on Instagram, or write to suryauthkarsha@gmail.com</span></p>