Uber, the world’s largest on-demand ride-sharing company marked the 29th National Road Safety Week by announcing a slew of initiatives for driver partners, to spread road safety awareness. Reiterating its commitment to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Uber will conduct free medical and eye check-ups for over 4.5 Lakh driver partners over the next 6 months in-line with this year’s theme of ‘Sadak Suraksha – Jeevan Raksha‘.
Speaking on the launch of its initiative, Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister for Road Transport & Highways pointed out
Ensuring road safety is a key priority for the government and we are committed to reducing fatal road accidents by 50 percent by 2020. The endeavor to make our roads safer has to be a collaborative multi-pronged initiative that needs joint action from policymakers, civic authorities, companies such as Uber and commuters in general.
Reinforcing Uber’s commitment towards road safety awareness, Pradeep Parameswaran, Head, Operations, Uber India & South Asia said
Safety is an on-going endeavor and we work tirelessly towards that goal. We are proud to be a part of the Ministry’s effort to curb road accidents and fatalities on Indian roads which constitutes to nearly 5 million annually.
Taking our collaboration, a step ahead, we aim to create a comprehensive safety ecosystem for our driver partners. We believe improving driver wellness and health is critical to making our roads safer as well as ensuring a comfortable driving experience. By rolling out free medical check-ups, for driver partners, we hope to strengthen existing efforts towards improving driver well-being.
India accounts for 12.5% of global road accidents, with 55 accidents & 17 deaths occurring every hour. In 2016 alone, 68% victims in road mishaps were between the age group of 18-45 years and almost 97% of the road accidents are caused by negligent driving including drunken driving. It, therefore, becomes imperative to spread awareness against the menace of driving under influence. Consistent with their partnership with Ministry of Road Transport and Highways [MoRTH], Uber also unveiled an impactful public interest campaign on “Don’t Drink and Drive” which will be showcased on various social media platforms.
Another initiative by Uber to raise road safety awareness is the development of learning aids on road safety for budding drivers enrolled in driving schools including Driver Training Institutes [DTIs] run by the government. With these learning aids, Uber will hope to sensitize drivers operating across four-wheelers, two-wheelers and auto rickshaws in over 200 driving schools across the country. Utilizing interactive mediums and animated content to stimulate maximum absorption of these learning aids, Uber aims to leave no stone unturned in spreading the importance of road safety.
Over the years, Uber has launched various initiatives to re-affirm its commitment towards its driver partners including UberBADD [Bars Against Drunk Driving] in Kolkata, the ‘Don’t Drink and Drive’ campaign in Pune, UberBAZAAR – a one-stop shop for driver partners – to access services ranging from car maintenance to health camps across 11 cities. In August 2017, Uber also rolled out India’s first ride-sharing insurance program in partnership with ICICI Lombard General Insurance for over 4.5 Lakh driver partners with free coverage for accidental death and disablement, hospitalization, and outpatient medical treatment in case of an accident while online on the Uber App.