New Delhi, 27 March, 2017: United Spirits Limited (USL), a Diageo Group Company, has partnered with Delhi School of Economics for the 1st Young India Summit on Road Safety launched yesterday. Mr. Sanjay Kumar, IAS, Commissioner (Excise, Entertainment & Luxury Tax), New Delhi inaugurated the event in the presence of Mr. Vineet Kumar Kapila, EVP and COO (North), United Spirits. The summit aims to create awareness and drive behavioural change among millennials on issues surrounding road safety in the country through dialogue, deliberation and engagement at the event.
India accounts for more than 12% of the worldwide annual average of 12.4 Million global road fatalities of which drunken driving is one of the leading causes. In 2015, nearly 54.1% of road traffic deaths occurred among people aged 15–34 years. As part of the Diageo – United Spirits Sustainability and Responsibility strategy, the ‘Road to Safety’ initiative endeavours to bring collective consciousness around responsible drinking, road-safety and, encourage citizens to ‘Never Drink and Drive.’
The Summit kicked off with a panel discussion with eminent panellists such as Mr. Kuldeep Singh Gangar (IAS), Ex. Special Commissioner, Traffic Delhi; Dy. Commissioner – Factory Licensing Department, Central Licensing and amp, Enforcement Cell & Central Control Room (HQ); Commodore Ranbir Talwar – Indian Head Injury Foundation; Lakshya Vij, Head Health Vertical, UrbanClap; Amar Srivastva, Banker with RBS and President Indian Road Safety Campaign- IIT Delhi; Dr. Ashish Chandra, Faculty Advisor, Enactus – Delhi School of Economics; Shehzala Parvez, President, Enactus Delhi School of Economics discussing the role of the government, and youth towards Road Safety and the initiatives to make India’s roads safer. This was followed by a Case Study competition where shortlisted colleges presented their ideas and comprehensive solutions for Road Safety issues in India. The winners for this were, Road Runners team from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) Delhi. Students also presented Short Films on the theme ‘Never Drink and Drive’ where Institute of Strategic Marketing and Communication (MICA) was adjudged as winners.
Speaking about this unique youth summit, Abanti Sankaranarayanan, Chief Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer, United Spirits said “Each of us and especially the youth, the biggest drivers of change, have a crucial role to play as responsible citizens to reduce road fatalities in the country. At Diageo – United Spirits, we are committed to the cause of road safety. We are proud of our association with the Delhi School of Economics for driving the cause of road safety amongst its students and for taking this initiative further to other educational institutions.”
Addressing the Youth Summit, Mr. Sanjay Kumar (IAS), Excise Commissioner, Delhi said “I believe the issues of road safety can be addressed with the collaborative effort of government bodies and citizens especially the youth. Though millennials are sensitised to the alarming state of road accidents their involvement is very critical. Initiatives such as the Diageo – United Spirits Road to Safety programme will definitely bring about a behavioural change in millennials who are the future users of road infrastructure.”
Launched in 2014, the Diageo – United Spirits Road to Safety program is a signature intervention that addresses drink driving and the broader cause of Road Safety in India. Through partnerships with the government, industry, civil society, NGO partners and others the ‘Road to Safety’ programme, till date has:
• Covered 23 states and 53 cities in India
• Trained 4000 police officials on traffic regulations, enforcement of drunken driving offences; types and correct usage of breath alcohol analysers.
• Donated high quality breath alcohol analysers to police departments of several states
• Taught 6000 university students about the perils of drunk drinking and underage drinking
• Educated 5000 drivers of commercial vehicles (school buses, auto rickshaws, trucks and buses) on the dangers of drinking driving
• Received over 3,00,000 pledges to “Never Drink & Drive’ from people from all walks of life through the social media and on-ground activations.