Between 2010 and November 2012, 859 pedestrians were injured in traffic accidents in Mumbai, of which 128 were children below 16 years of age. In the same period, 1,645 Mumbaikars lost their lives in traffic accidents.

“The data clearly shows that Mumbai’s roads and sidewalks are not safe for children or adults,” says Rupa Kothari, executive director of Safe Kids Foundation India, which has organised a two-day Road Safety festival for children and adults to create awareness on the same.

The two-day workshop will take them through educational sessions offering mock demonstrations of traffic rules and safe driving and walking practices. The event will also include activities like drawing, essay and slogan writing and model making to reinforce these messages among kids.

Kothari stresses that there is a greater need in our city and country to make the roads and sidewalks safe for children. “Most children walk to the school as they are more vulnerable to traffic injuries than anyone else. We must make the roads and sidewalks safe,” she spells out.

According to her, research has shown that a lot of road accidents involving children take place because drivers are unable to spot kids. “Their short height makes them invisible to drivers from their seats, and hence, more vulnerable to accidents.

Hence, we’ve decided to make drivers aware of these blind spots using a live car set-up,” she says, adding, “We will also ask adults to slow down near schools, playgrounds, or wherever there might be scope of children being around.”